'The culprit here is me, not Shaheen' - Sikandar Raza breaks silence on PSL security breach

Sikandar Raza has discharged Lahore Qalandars teammate and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi after a complaint from Punjab Police to PSL chief executive Salman Naseer accused the two of "forcefully escorting" unauthorised visitors up to Raza's room on Saturday, March 28. The police's letter, which was leaked, stated that the pair had violated security protocols.

Despite being refused entry for visitors by PCB's security and anti-corruption manager as well as Naseer, Raza took visitors up to the players’ room, who were there for around three hours. He has clarified the situation, saying that neither he nor his Qalandars teammate was aware of the protocol imposed, taking the blame for the situation for the same.

Raza’s account contradicts the Punjab Police letter, saying that the visitors were at the room only for forty minutes.

"Shaheen didn't force anyone. My friends and family had come, and at my request, Shaheen helped them [come up to my room]. If these were the SOPs [that visitors weren't allowed into our rooms], I wasn't aware, and to some extent, Shaheen wasn't aware either. The culprit here is me, not Shaheen. He went down on my request, because it was my close family and friends; I didn't want to meet them in the business centre. We sat upstairs for 40 minutes," Raza was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Raza further stated that the visitors were his friends and relatives, further iterating support for Shaheen, who was with him throughout the incident.

"We [the visitors and he] have been friends for 19 years," Raza said. "My wife and kids will also come to see me. Please don't forget that my family and relatives live here [and] I don't get to see [them] all year. Shaheen merely went down on my request. We requested a few members of the PCB, and what happened after that we'll look into it. But it was my call, not Shaheen's, and I know he didn't forcefully escort anyone because I was in the lift with him, too," he added.

Speaking about the Qalandars' opening game of PSL 2026, they suffered a disappointing four-wicket loss against the Karachi Kings at the Gaddafi Stadium. The Zimbabwean all-rounder did have quite a poor performance, scoring only 19 off 21 with the bat while conceding 11 runs in the only over he bowled. Both Raza and Qalandars will be hoping for an improved performance in the upcoming encounter.