New Delhi: That cricketing ties between India and Pakistan have been frosty for some time is well known and continues to be so. At the India Premier League (IPL) III, auction none of the 11 Pakistani players were sold.
While IPL chairman Lalit Modi refused to read too much into the incident saying players from other countries too were not picked up by the franchisees.
Team owners Shilpa Shetty and Preity Zinta said “We were looking for players who would be available for the whole tournament. It is not that we specifically didn’t want Pakistani players.”
Surprisingly players almost unknown to India have fetched record prices, but there were no takers for the current world Twenty20 champions Pakistan.
The franchisees’ cold shoulder to the Pakistan players has evoked sharp reactions from all quarters in Pakistan. Chief of Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt said, "It's not only shocking, but disappointing as well. We were hoping that things would be all right and they had also confirmed that most of our players would be considered.”
All rounder Shahid Afridi, who was billed as one of the major attractions in the auction said that he was disappointed and upset. “The way I see it, the IPL and India have made fun of us and our country by treating us this way” he added. The same “insult” sentiment has been echoed by other players in the bid too.
Pakistan Sports Minister Ejaz Jhakhrani meanwhile telephoned his Indian counterpart to lodge a protest but was informed that the government did not have a say in the matter.