The SA20 franchises will each be allowed to sign one additional player in a wildcard round following the PCB’s decision to make its players available for the competition.
Pakistan’s players were initially ineligible to take part in the SA20 because of a clash with a tour to the West Indies.
However, that tour has been postponed and the PCB immediately engaged with SA20 to see if it could find a solution to get at least some of its players into the competition.
In response, SA20 has opened up a round of wildcard picks during which each team can sign one additional player from the list of eligible contenders, including the new entries from Pakistan.
“We are introducing a wildcard pick,” Graeme Smith, commissioner of the SA20 league, told ESPNcricinfo. “Post the World Cup, we will allow teams to pick one other player. From a league perspective, we don’t get involved with selection. The teams go to the market and pick.”
The SA20 kicks off in January in what could become known as the “silly season” of T20 cricket with the ILT20 (UAE), BBL (Australia) and BPL (Bangladesh) all starting at the same time.
On top of all of that, the PCB’s own PSL is set to get underway just a few days later in February.
It remains very unlikely that any Pakistan players will play in the ILT20, though, after fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain and wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan were both denied no-objection certificates earlier in the year.
