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Pakistan shouldn't play in IPL: Imran Khan
Imran Khan is against Pakistani cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League in future but said he was not in favour of boycotting the cricket WC.
Karachi:
Former captain Imran Khan is against Pakistani cricketers playing in the Indian Premier League in future but said he was not in favour of boycotting the hockey and cricket World Cup.
Imran slammed the IPL, saying the Pakistani Players were deliberately insulted by the twenty20 league and they shouldn't participate in it again.
"They (IPL) deliberately insulted our players at the IPL auction, there was no merit in ignoring our players," Imran told reporters here.
"If the IPL franchises had any concerns about security and other issues about signing on our players they should have been clear about this and not invited them to the auction in the first place."
"But to include them in the auction and then to snub them was appalling and our cricket board and government should lodge a strong protest with the Indian government over this," he added.
Eleven Pakistani players were included in the IPL players auction held in Mumbai on January 19 but none were bought by the franchises which resulted in allegations from Pakistan that it was a pre-planned move to humiliate the players and the country's image.
The legendary pacer, however, didn't agree with the demands to boycott the hockey and cricket World Cups stating this would damage the sports in the country.
"Our players should not play in the IPL but we must play in the World Cups as they are global events and if we don't play in them it will harm our hockey and cricket teams," he said.
India is due to host the hockey World Cup from late this month in New Delhi and is one of the joint hosts of the cricket World Cup in early 2011 with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Since the IPL players auction fiasco the Pakistan government and the cricket board have demanded apologies from IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
The cricket board yesterday revoked all NOCs issued to players to go and play in the IPL III making it clear this was being done to protest what treatment meted out at the auction.
The board said in future if any player was offered a contract by the IPL the board would give him permission to play after getting clearance from the government.
Imran slammed the IPL, saying the Pakistani Players were deliberately insulted by the twenty20 league and they shouldn't participate in it again.
"They (IPL) deliberately insulted our players at the IPL auction, there was no merit in ignoring our players," Imran told reporters here.
"If the IPL franchises had any concerns about security and other issues about signing on our players they should have been clear about this and not invited them to the auction in the first place."
"But to include them in the auction and then to snub them was appalling and our cricket board and government should lodge a strong protest with the Indian government over this," he added.
Eleven Pakistani players were included in the IPL players auction held in Mumbai on January 19 but none were bought by the franchises which resulted in allegations from Pakistan that it was a pre-planned move to humiliate the players and the country's image.
The legendary pacer, however, didn't agree with the demands to boycott the hockey and cricket World Cups stating this would damage the sports in the country.
"Our players should not play in the IPL but we must play in the World Cups as they are global events and if we don't play in them it will harm our hockey and cricket teams," he said.
India is due to host the hockey World Cup from late this month in New Delhi and is one of the joint hosts of the cricket World Cup in early 2011 with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Since the IPL players auction fiasco the Pakistan government and the cricket board have demanded apologies from IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.
The cricket board yesterday revoked all NOCs issued to players to go and play in the IPL III making it clear this was being done to protest what treatment meted out at the auction.
The board said in future if any player was offered a contract by the IPL the board would give him permission to play after getting clearance from the government.
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