PCB optimistic about Pak players participation in 2014 IPL

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is optimistic that Pakistani players might get a chance to play in the Indian Premier League next year or else they will be without any international commitments for a period of six months.

Karachi: The Cricket Board (PCB) is optimistic that Pakistani players might get a chance to play in the Indian Premier League next year or else they will be without any international commitments for a period of six months. A senior official of the PCB told TO media that the national team had no international commitments lined up after the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh in March up to October 2014.

"We have no series scheduled right now for this period so we are hoping that the Indian Board (BCCI) will next year invite our players for the IPL in April and May," he said. He said the reason for the optimism stemmed from the decision to invite the Pakistani domestic T20 champions for the Champions League Twenty20 this year as well as last year. "Hopefully things will change for the better next year and our players will be invited for the IPL although so far we have had no discussions on this issue with the BCCI," he admitted. Pakistani players have been barred from participating in the IPL since 2008 after the Mumbai terror attacks. The official said indications were that the Indians were also thinking on lines of having a bilateral series with Pakistan but there was no certain time frame for this to happen. "There will also be general elections in India next year and there is talk about shifting the IPL to some other country and that would also make it easier for the BCCI and franchises to invite our players for the IPL," he said. The official said the PCB wanted Pakistani players to take part in IPL next year`s IPL because of lack of international commitments in ICC`s Future Tours Program. "There have been some preliminary discussions on having a tri-series tournament in the United States next summer but so far it is all premature and we have to see what happens," he said. Asked why the PCB was not considering having its Super League T20 tournament in this period, he said realistically even if Pakistan wanted to launch its premier league it would have to hold it in the UAE and the weather in that region in summer is not ideal for cricket. "As things stand foreign teams and players remain reluctant to come to Pakistan because of security issues," he added.