An opportunity to play in the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) beckons for young pace sensation Nahid Rana but before issuing him a No Objection Certificate (NOC), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is pondering about Rana's workload management and the national team's upcoming Zimbabwe series.

PSL franchise Peshwar Zalmi picked Rana up from the draft ahead of this year's PSL, slated to begin on April 11. Rana has also applied for a NOC for the tournament, BCB sources confirmed yesterday.

While BCB is awaiting PSL's supporting letter before issuing the NOC, there are some other factors that board is considering.

Zalmi play their last league game on May 7 before the qualifier and eliminator rounds. The final of the PSL is slated to be played on May 18. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe arrive on April 15 with the first Test slated to begin on April 20 and the second one on April 28 in Sylhet and Chattogram respectively.

Even though the Test series in not part of the World Test Championship cycle, due to the schedule clash with PSL, the board is pondering whether to give Rana NOC for one phase of the PSL instead of the entire tournament.

How the PSL franchise would manage Rana's workload is also an important issue. The speedster has so far played two out of Abahani's five matches in the Dhaka Premier League as part of a workload management scheme.

BCB high-ups had previously confirmed after the last board meeting that they would be more selective about handing out NOCs, prioritising growth and benefit for the player. While PSL has those positive traits, the board remains hesitant in Rana's case.

Rana is not the only Bangladeshi picked up for the next PSL as Zalmi also drafted in Rishad Hossain while Karachi Kings roped in Liton Das.

When the matter of Rana, Liton and Rishad's PSL appearance was brought up, Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was in favour of them taking part and gaining experience from foreign franchise tournaments.

"I think they should of course play in these kinds of franchise cricket but it will wholly depend on the cricket board, coach and captain and other factors. But I think that if our players start featuring in these kinds of franchise tournaments, they will gather experience and learn to take that sort of responsibility," Shanto said.

For now, a PSL stint remains on the horizon for Rana, but it is an important decision for the board to maintain the bowler's agencies.