In a shock turnaround for the 2024-25 Big Bash League (BBL 2024-25), Afghanistan’s T20I captain Rashid Khan has once again decided to sit out the T20 tournament in Australia. This is the second consecutive year that the dynamic leg-spinner will be absent from the BBL, disappointing fans, Cricket Australia (CA) and the Adelaide Strikers.
Rashid’s withdrawal from the player draft for the upcoming 2024-25 BBL, scheduled for September 1, has come as a huge blow to the tournament, given his stellar career with the Adelaide Strikers. His impressive performances over the years have made him one of the biggest names in the BBL and among Australian fans.
Big Bash League suffers a blow as Rashid Khan decides to skip 2024-25 season
Last season, Rashid opted out due to back surgery, and now he has decided to opt out of the Australian T20 league again, and the possible reason behind the decision could be his conflicts with CA. In 2023, Rashid had expressed his frustration when CA decided to cancel the ODI series against Afghanistan in protest against the Taliban’s restrictive policies on girls’ education.
However, the Afghan pacer had initially threatened to boycott the BBL after CA cancelled the ODI series at the Human Rights Ground following the Taliban banning education for girls in the country but later decided to participate in the tournament only to eventually pull out of the T20 league.
Meanwhile, the AAP report claimed that Rashid’s representative had informed the Adelaide Strikers of his decision. However, the BBL club is disappointed with the Afghan star’s decision but has expressed their willingness to welcome him back in the future. The Strikers are said to have been in regular contact with Rashid but he did not show interest in participating in the 2024-25 BBL.
CA believes scheduling conflicts could force Rashid to miss BBL 2024-25
Rashid’s absence is a major setback for both the CA and the BBL. They had hoped that his return would boost the BBL’s profile and maintain its reputation for boasting global stars. Despite this setback, the CA reportedly believed that the Afghan captain’s decision was more due to scheduling conflicts than past issues, referring to their row over the withdrawal from the ODI series.
However, the latter stages of the BBL are expected to overlap with South Africa’s SA20, and could be the reason behind Rashid’s decision. The Afghan star is currently one of the best bowlers in the world and plays in various leagues around the world. Rashid recently played for the Trent Rockets in The Hundred 2024, but suffered an injury while fielding and was ruled out of the 100-ball tournament in England.
Rashid will now be seen again in the Test match against New Zealand, which begins on September 9, followed by a three-match ODI series against South Africa starting from September 18. He will also join MI New York for the third edition of SA20 in South Africa. With the 2025 Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in February, there is a push to conclude franchise tournaments quickly.