|| CF DESK ||

Naveen-ul-Haq has been handed a 20-month ban by the UAE's ILT20 for violating his player agreement with Sharjah Warriors.

The breach occurred when he refused to sign the retention notice for the second season of the tournament scheduled for January-February next year.

As a result, Naveen is ineligible to participate in the ILT20 during 2024 and 2025.

Despite the ban, he has inked a deal with Durban's Super Giants, a team owned by the group that also owns the IPL team Lucknow Super Giants, of which he is a part.

Notably, the South African SA20 league, in which he is set to play, will run almost concurrently with the ILT20.

Warriors, who had signed Naveen on for the inaugural edition of the league in 2023, had "earlier this year sent him a retention notice on the same terms and conditions," an ILT20 statement said.

"Sharjah Warriors approached the ILT20 to intervene in this dispute. The ILT20 first initiated a mediation process through an independent third-party mediator, however the mediation failed."

The league's disciplinary committee, comprising ILT20 chief executive David White, head of security and anti-corruption Col Azam, and Zayed Abbas, member of the Emirates Cricket Board, heard the points of view of both Warriors and Naveen and examined the evidence before them before communicating their verdict.

"We do not take pride in making this announcement but all parties are expected to comply with their contractual commitments and recognize that non-compliance can cause damage to the other party. Unfortunately, Naveen-ul-Haq failed to honour his contractual obligations with the Sharjah Warriors and as such the league had no option but to impose this 20-month ban on him,” White said.

"The disciplinary proceedings against Naveen were conducted in a transparent manner and both parties involved were given opportunities to prepare and present their submissions."