Didn't want to take risk with Pak players: Shilpa

Ahmedabad:

Shilpa Shetty, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals, on Wednesday once again made it clear that the decision of not selecting Pakistan players for the IPL 3 was completely driven by their availability and not nationality.

"The decision on Pak players was never on nationality, it was always on availability. And by availability I don't mean dates on a diary. I'm talking about whether they'll be available in India for us to use them. We didn't want to take risk," said Shilpa.

Shilpa was present at a function organized by the Rajasthan Royals, champions from season one of the IPL, who on Wednesday launched a 'Blue Carpet' ticket in Ahmedabad, which is for fans who want and can afford 5-star treatment at the stadiums during matches.

Ahmedabad is one of the catchment areas of the Rajasthan franchise, and will host a few matches as well. The new promotional music video for the team was also launched, featuring mascot 'Muchhu Singh'!

Shilpa said the controversy over IPL has affected the spirit of the game.

"What is great about IPL is that when a wicket falls, we see a Pakistani and Indian player hug each other and see an Australian and South African do a high-five, I miss that. These controversies have take away the spirit of the game," she said.