Pakistan Cricket Board refuse players permission to play in IPL
A HOST of Pakistani players will not feature in the forthcoming IPL season after their cricket board refused to clear them for the lucrative league.
New Pakistan captain Younis Khan was one of 10 players expected to join up with team mates ahead of the start of the new season in April.
But his contract – along with that of Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez – was sensationally terminated by IPL chiefs today.
There was better news for four other players – Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul and Misbah-ul Haq – who had their contracts suspended meaning they could well return for the tournament next year.
With relations between Pakistan and India at an all-time low, the PCB announced last week it would not allow its players to travel to India for the IPL for ‘security’ reasons.
Sports minister Aftab Jilani said the final decision was down to the Pakistan government and would not be drawn on the possibility its stance was a result of India refusing to tour Pakistan earlier this year.
IPL boss Lalit Modi said the decision to terminate or suspend contracts was down to the team franchise.
“By deciding not to take part this year, these players have gone against the rules of the IPL,” tournament boss Lalit Modi told reporters.
“A player can pull out only if he is injured or has an international Test or one-day commitment. The franchises have the option of either terminating their contract or suspending it.
“If they terminate the contract, the player becomes a free agent and the team gets an additional slot at the auction.”
One IPL official told AFP it made “no sense” for teams to hold on to Pakistani players.
