Naveen-ul-Haq, at center of Kohli-Gambhir IPL spat, out of T20 World Cup

• Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghan bowler involved in the Virat Kohli-Gautam Gambhir IPL 2023 altercation, is out of the T20 World Cup.
• He will miss Afghanistan's three-match T20 series against West Indies and the upcoming T20 World Cup due to an unspecified injury.
• Naveen-ul-Haq last played for Afghanistan in December 2024 and participated in SA20 2025 and MLC before a shoulder injury ruled him out of Asia Cup 2025.
• Mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar, batsman Ejaz Ahmadzai, and fast bowler Zia-ur-Rehman Sharifi are reserve players for the T20 World Cup.
• Rashid Khan left SA20 2026 to captain Afghanistan against West Indies, with Kieron Pollard replacing him at MI Cape Town.

Why It Matters: Naveen-ul-Haq, known for his IPL spat with Kohli and Gambhir, is sidelined from the T20 World Cup due to injury.