Mumbai: Breaking News! The furore over the non-inclusion of Pakistan cricketers in the IPL 3 continued, as cricket legends like Imran Khan and Kapil Dev slammed the Indian Premier League (IPL) authorities for poor handling of the bidding process.
None of the 11 Pakistani cricketers, who were put in the auction, were chosen by the IPL franchises, which led to an outrage in Pakistan. Even players like Shahid Afridi and Sohail Tanvir found no takers during the auction.
Ironically, Pakistan is the World Champion is Twenty20 format of the game and they need no further recognition. The Indian government has already made it clear that it was not involved in the process and visas were issued to all Pakistani cricketers beforehand.
The issue has sparked a diplomatic row between India and Pakistan. During a debate on and Indian TV Channel, Cricketer Imran Khan felt that Pakistan cricketers were humiliated because of 26/11 and they were unfairly targeted by the IPL owners.
Former Indian Captain Kapil Dev echoed the same view. He lashed out at the IPL for handling the affairs in a poor away. He said that the decision was merely commercial and he did not see any government role in it.
There is a fresh debate on former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram's role in the IPL. Akram is currently associated with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a Bowling Coach. While Imran felt that Akram should continue on his job, majority of Pakistani want him to step down in protest against the "shabby treatment" meted out to Pakistan cricketers.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
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