The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a one-year ban on Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka from participation in the next edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), citing contractual violations.

Shanaka was signed by defending champions Lahore Qalandars for Rs7.5 million in the accelerated round of the inaugural players auction, held in February this year.

But just three days before the commencement of the ongoing PSL 11, the franchise confirmed that the Sri Lankan all-rounder has withdrawn due to personal reasons and was replaced by Australia’s Daniel Sams in the squad.

In a statement, the PCB said it conducted a comprehensive assessment of recent contractual developments involving Shanaka and Lahore Qalandars, after the player withdrew from the tournament on March 21, 2026.

The board concluded that the unilateral withdrawal amounted to a clear breach of the player registration terms and the tripartite agreement. It further noted that the reasons cited for the withdrawal were not covered under the existing contractual framework.

While acknowledging Shanaka’s expressions of regret and his stated desire to continue playing in Pakistan, the PCB said the nature of the breach required regulatory action to safeguard the integrity and exclusivity of the league.

As a result, the PCB confirmed that Shanaka has been barred from participating in PSL 12, effective immediately.

Meanwhile, in a statement released by the PCB, the Sri Lankan all-rounder issued an apology to Pakistani fans and the wider cricket community.

“I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the HBL PSL and offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pakistan, the fans of HBL PSL, and the wider cricket community,” Shanaka was quoted as saying by the PCB.

“The HBL PSL is a prestigious tournament, and I fully understand the disappointment caused by my actions. To the loyal fans of Lahore Qalandars, I am truly sorry for letting you down.”

He further clarified that he had no intention of joining any other franchise league at the time of his withdrawal from the PSL, urging that he has great respect for Pakistani fans and expressing his hope to make his return to the marquee league soon.

“I must clarify that at the time I withdrew from the PSL I had no intention of joining any other tournament. I have the greatest respect for Pakistani Fans and have always enjoyed my time in Pakistan. I hope to return to the HBL PSL in the future with renewed dedication and the trust of the fans.”

Just under a month ago, Maryland Terrapins guard Oluchi Okanawa went viral for an intense moment with her coach Brenda Frese in their 74-66 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament.

Now, she is headlining what appears to be a rebuild of the Nigeria women’s basketball program.

Okananwa, the Terrapins star player, was having a dreadful third quarter where she turned the ball over multiple times, missed three free throws and missed a layup before getting yanked by Frese.

What followed turned out to be one of the most viral moments of March Madness. Frese went forehead-to-forehead with the guard in an intense coaching moment, telling her star Terrapin “I believe in you, but you got to want this moment!”

Oluchi went back into the game, immediately scored, got a steal and ended up with 21 points in a remarkable turnaround. She said after the game that she welcomed the intensity of the coaching moment.

“Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart,” she said. “I’ve told her this before, and I’ll keep on telling her this forever. I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day.”

Less than four weeks later, Okananwa is now top of the list on the Nigeria women’s basketball team, as they named a 21-player training camp roster ahead of a series of friendlies against WNBA opposition, part of preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

Far from routine, the squad named by head coach Rena Wakama, appears to be a clear indication that D’Tigress are fully in refresh season, with a wave of NCAA-based players called up, led by Okananwa and Texas Tech’s Stephanie Okechukwu, the tallest player in the history of NCAA women’s basketball at 7 feet 1 inch.

Both players are part of a total of 15 players on that roster picked from fourteen different US programs. Of those, Okananwa and Okechukwu are the undisputed picks of a bunch spanning Power Four programs, the Ivy League and the junior college ranks.

It is the most concentrated draw on the NCAA pipeline in D’Tigress history and comes in the wake of the departure of former captain Sarah Ogoke, as the NBBF looks to lower the age of the team with players like Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, and Victoria Macaulay the other side of 30.

Okananwa, a junior, earned AP and WBCA All-America honorable mention honors this season after averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and a Big Ten-leading 74 steals in 33 starts for the Terrapins. She led Maryland in scoring in 28 of 33 games and reached 20 points or more in 14 outings.

With her talent, Okananwa could well be the face and future of Nigeria women’s basketball.

Okechukwu, the 7-foot-1 center from Umunneochi, Nigeria, who attended high school in Japan, signed with Texas Tech in January as the tallest player in the history of NCAA women’s basketball.

She did not play during the 2025-26 season due to NCAA eligibility complications related to her academic transcripts, but remains enrolled at Texas Tech and is expected to compete beginning next season.

Stanford are the only program to contribute more than one player. They are Shay Ijiwoye, a sophomore guard from Phoenix, Arizona, who appeared in 32 games for the Cardinals last season, averaging 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Her teammate Nora Ezike, a freshman forward from La Grange, Illinois, made her Nigeria debut at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Brno, Czechia, last July, where she opened with 25 points on 8-for-8 shooting in Nigeria’s first-ever U19 World Cup victory against China. She played in nine games off the Stanford bench in 2025-26.

Another addition is Uche Izoje, who may be college basketball’s most compelling origin story. The 6-foot-3 center from Asaba, Delta State, left Nigeria at age 13 to play basketball in Japan, spent two seasons with Chanson V-Magic in the Women’s Japan Basketball League as a two-time All-Star and 2024 Rookie of the Year, then arrived in the United States for the first time to play at Syracuse.

In her debut college season she averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and a conference-leading 2.6 blocks per game, capping a standout debut season by winning ACC Rookie of the Year and going on to score 23 points in 25 minutes against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma called her “the best player we’ve seen this year.”

Miami freshman forward Danielle Osho, a four-star recruit from Dacula, Georgia and a two-time Georgia state high school champion, also earns a call-up. Osho averaged 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in her first college season with the Hurricanes.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming number of NCAA-related rookies, the squad is held together by an experienced core of vets that include Kalu, Amukamara, Macaulay, Nicole Enabosi and Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah.

But they are also missing just as much experience, including the leadership of captain Amy Okonkwo, who signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings after averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals across eight appearances in her WNBA debut with the franchise in 2025.

Elizabeth Balogun is in a similar position with the Toronto Tempo. Murjanatu Musa is also absent, competing instead with Basket Landes at the EuroLeague Women’s Final Six in Zaragoza, Spain, where she is in the running for the MVP in only her first season in that competition.

Despite this influx of largely young and untested players, Kunayi-Akpanah says the objective for those three games in the States is clear.

“These aren’t just exhibition games,” she said. “These are games for us to test our plays, our systems and how we communicate under pressure. Basically, everything we’ve been building. All is to arrive in our best shape for the World Cup in September.”

D’Tigress face the Los Angeles Sparks on April 25, the Minnesota Lynx on April 27, and the Indiana Fever on May 2 as part of their preparations for the 2026 FIBA World Cup, which begins September 4 in Berlin, Germany.

Nigeria qualified as AfroBasket champions, but were still required to take part in World Cup qualifying tournament where they went 2-3.

Still, those results were sufficient to maintain their eighth-place standing in the FIBA Women’s World Rankings with 700.3 points and D’Tigress remain the only African nation ranked inside the global top 10.

Full training camp roster:

Promise Amukamara, Shay Ijiwoye, Donanu Regina, Jerni Kiaku, Ezinne Kalu, Oluchi Okananwa, Gabby White, Nora Ezike, Victoria Macaulay, Vivian Iwuchukwu, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Suzie Rafiu, Danielle Osho, Nicole Enabosi, Maryam Dauda, Rita Igbokwe, Stephanie Okechukwu, Uche Izoje, Vera Ojenuwa, Favour Nwaedozi and Blessing Ejiofor.

D’Tigress College Future:

Shay Ijiwoye – Stanford

Donanu Regina – Barton Community College

Jerni Kiaku – Indiana University Hoosiers

Oluchi Okananwa – Maryland

Gabby White – UVA transferring to UNC

Nora Ezike – Stanford

Vivian Iwuchukwu – USC Trojans

Suzie Rafiu – Columbia University

Danielle Osho – Miami Hurricanes

Maryam Dauda – U South Carolina Gamecocks

Rita Igbokwe – Ole Miss

Stephanie Okechukwu – Texas

Uche Izoje – Syracuse

Vera Ojenuwa – UGA

Favour Nwaedozi – Mississippi State

Notre Dame and Villanova will play a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader Nov. 1 in Rome to open the season.

The universities are promoting the matchups as a chance to celebrate their shared mission and heritage as Catholic schools. The jointly hosted event will include “special programming that brings together academics, athletics and spirituality,” Villanova said in its announcement.

“From academic engagement and cultural immersion to shared worship and athletics, this journey offers a profound opportunity to grow in mind, body and spirit,” said the Rev. Peter Donohue, Villanova’s school president.

The schools said the election of Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian friar and Villanova alumnus, was the inspiration for scheduling the game.

Those attending the Italian excursion will have the opportunity for a shared Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, a planned papal audience with Pope Leo XIV before the games and private tours of the Vatican Museums.

College teams playing overseas is expected to become more common amid a growing influx of international talent. Twenty-three of the 62 players on Final Four rosters listed their hometown as being in another country, and NCAA data shows the number of international players on Division I rosters (888) has more than doubled since 2010.

Games in Croatia and Serbia are in the works and planned for November as part of a new College Basketball International Series launched by Intersport and Rochelle Management Group.