No Pakistani players have played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 17 years. As many as 12 stars from the cross-border country were signed in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, but after the Mumbai terrorist attacks and the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to ban the Pakistani players from the world's richest franchise league.
Since then, several Pakistani players have expressed their interest in playing in the IPL, as the cricketers of both countries share a cordial relationship. However, considering the political indifferences between the two countries, Pakistani players are not allowed in the IPL. In fact, Pakistan and India haven't played any bilateral series since 2012.
In a recent interview at The Ranveer Show, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla was asked whether the world will see Pakistani players in the IPL ever again. One of the senior BCCI administrators, Rajeev Shukla, cleverly put the ball in the franchises' court.
“Pakistani commentators and umpires, we (BCCI) have involved them in Indian Premier League. About the players, it all depends on the franchises,” Rajeev Shukla said. “They (franchises) do not pick the Pakistan players, and we also have not put them (in the auction list),” he added.
Asked whether the franchises ever spoke about Pakistani players being involved in the IPL, Rajeev Shukla admitted things are tough at this moment. “There are a few franchises who do talk about Pakistani players in IPL, but by and large, things look tough at the moment,” he said.
Despite the ban on Pakistani players from the 2009 IPL, former Pakistani cricketers were involved in the IPL. Legendary Wasim Akram was appointed as the bowling coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, while another ex-Pakistan cricketer, Ramiz Raja, did commentary duties until IPL 2014.
The BCCI vice-president also threw a light on the future of the India vs Pakistan bilateral series. “Right now, we don't have permission from the government. It will happen sometime in the future. We still don't have the permission to conduct a bilateral series at a neutral venue.”
“The idea is to play on each other's soil. The government's consent and security clearance are the two most important factors for an India vs Pakistan bilateral series to happen. The one incident on the Sri Lankan players disturbed the whole thing,” he added.
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