Fresh controversy erupted. Pakistan Super League As an all-rounder for Lahore Qalandars Sikandar Raza And fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was allegedly charged with breaching hotel security protocol after four “unauthorised” guests entered the team’s hotel room. According to the message sent to the Punjab Police PSL CEO Salman Naseer, Raza and Afridi allegedly “forcefully took away” visitors despite prior denials from security. However, Raza has strongly denied these allegations. He clarified that the four guests were his longtime friends and family members and Afridi was only helping them at their request. “Shaheen didn’t force anyone,” Raza told ESPNCricinfo. “My friends and family came, and at my request, Shaheen helped them. [come up to my room]. If these were SOPs, I didn’t know and to some extent Shaheen didn’t either. I am the culprit here, not Shaheen. He agreed to my request because it was my closest family and friend. I didn’t want to meet them at the business center. We sat upstairs for 40 minutes.” Raza also emphasized the personal context, noting that he had known the visitors for 19 years and rarely saw his family and children, who were also part of the group. “Please don’t forget that my family and relatives live here, and I don’t get to see them all year round,” he said. He reiterated that Afridi merely followed his instructions and did not act independently. The police letter claimed that both PCB’s Security Manager and Qalandar’s Liaison Officer sought permission for the visitors but these requests were rejected. The letter suggested that the refusal was ignored, and the visitors stayed in the room for three hours, contradicting Raza’s account of the 40-minute meeting. Lahore Qalandars sources have largely confirmed the incident but denied forced entry. PCB media head Umar Farooq confirmed that the board is aware of the incident and is in touch with the PSL. The police have urged the PSL to look into the matter and prevent such incidents in future.
