After Asia Cup snub, Mohammad Rizwan signs for CPL side St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

After being snubbed from Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 squad, Mohammad Rizwan has agreed a deal to join St Kitts and Nevis Patriots for the remainder of the Caribbean Premier League 2025 (CPL), according to a report from ESPNCricinfo. The CPL side is yet to confirm the signing, with an announcement likely to be made over the course of the next 24 hours.

The former Pakistan T20I captain will come in as a replacement for Fazalhaq Farooqi, who is set to link up with the Afghanistan squad for the tri-series against the UAE and Pakistan. It is not clear if Rizwan will be available for the Patriots' clash against the Barbados Royals on Thursday, August 22. The exclusion of the 33-year-old from the Pakistan squad for the Asia Cup means that he has been given a clear path to take part in leagues elsewhere.

It is believed that a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the PCB is just a mere formality at the moment. This will be the first time Rizwan will be taking part in the CPL, which already has a strong roster of Pakistani players.

It was announced earlier on Thursday that Usama Mir had signed for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The Patriots already has two Pakistan players in their ranks in the form of fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi.

Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir and Salman Irshad are also part of this year's competition as they play for the Falcons, Trinbago Knightriders and the Jamaica Tallawahs. Signing with the Patriots also means that Rizwan will use up his quota of two overseas T20 leagues. The PCB has stipulated that the maximum number centrally contracted players can take part in over a 12-month period starting in July is two.

Earlier this year, Rizwan was signed by the Melbourne Renegades for the Big Bash League. The Patriots have had a rocky start to the CPL 2025 season as they have won one match and lost three.