Pakistani players left out of the IPL auctions again

Pakistani cricketers have once again been left out of the sixth IPL edition’s auctions this year. Pakistanis have not been included in the IPL ever since the Mumbai attacks in 2008. They have been left out of the 101 players who will be going under the hammer on Sunday.

The Pakistanis would have hoped that they would finally be given a chance to be a part of the tournament following the bilateral series in December-January, but that was not to be. Although the PCB has been pushing hard for its players to be included in the IPL, their efforts have gone in vain.

The decision to leave the Pakistani players out of the IPL was actually believed to have been taken before the series in December – before the cross-border tension ensued between the two neighbours. The BCCI had considered their inclusion but eventually decided against it. An official said, “It is for the franchises to decide their teams. The franchises invest a lot of money and they do not want to take a risk by including Pakistani players. The idea is to play it safe.”

There have been protests in Mumbai against the inclusion of Pakistani players in tournaments in India by Shiv Sena. They had protested against the India-Pakistan series in December. The Pakistani Hockey players had been sent back from the Hockey India League post the tension at the border. The Pakistani women’s team’s matches were shifted to Cuttack from Mumbai due to the same reasons. Perhaps the BCCI didn’t want to instigate another controversy.