Noor Ahmad ruled out of CPL 2026; St Lucia Kings name replacement

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St Lucia Kings have suffered a setback in their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026 campaign after one of their key overseas players became unavailable for the remainder of the tournament. The franchise have moved quickly to bring in a replacement as they look to strengthen their squad following a mixed start to the season. The development also comes with Afghanistan preparing for an important T20I assignment against India next month.

Noor Ahmad will not feature for St Lucia Kings in the remainder of CPL 2026 after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) denied him permission to participate in the tournament. The left-arm wrist-spinner did not travel to the Caribbean after his No Objection Certificate (NOC) was revoked.

Noor had originally joined the franchise in 2020 but could not make his debut due to visa-related issues. He eventually represented the Kings in 2024 and played a crucial role in their maiden CPL title triumph, finishing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets. The spinner’s unavailability also comes ahead of Afghanistan’s three-match T20I series against India in Delhi from September 13, where he is expected to be an important part of the side.

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St Lucia Kings have brought in New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert as Noor’s replacement for the remainder of CPL 2026. Seifert arrives after an impressive campaign with Manchester Super Giants in The Hundred 2026, where he played alongside Noor. The franchise won the competition, with Seifert making a major contribution throughout their title-winning run.

The New Zealand batter finished as Manchester Super Giants’ leading run-scorer and second overall in the tournament. He accumulated 394 runs in 10 innings at an average of 49.25 and a strike rate of 168.37. St Lucia Kings are currently fourth in the CPL 2026 points table after recording two wins and three defeats from their opening five matches.

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