Pakistan Cricket Board invites Indian players to participate in PSL

Pakistani players alongside PCB officials at the launch of the PSL in Lahore

In a sudden development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) who are vigorously pursuing a full series against India in the United Arab Emirates this December, have expressed a keenness on the idea of Indians playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), reports NDTV. Najam Sethi, Head of PCB’s executive committee is insisting that Indians are welcome in the ambitious T20 league.

At a time when the Indian Premier League franchises are reluctant to pick Pakistani cricketer for various reasons, the PCB’s move of inviting representatives from their arch-rivals comes across a surprise. The 67-year-old Sethi believes that the presence of Indian players will lift the standard and popularity of the PSL.

The proposed series between the Asian giants is supposed to take place in December. However with no official confirmation from the Indian side, the chances of the historic rivalry being rekindled appear minimal. Disgruntled with the lack of response from the Board of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI), there were even calls from different personalities from Pakistan to boycott India in ICC events.

Since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks which are alleged to have been executed from Pakistani soil, the BCCI have constantly ensured that Pakistani players would not be able to play in the IPL. In that regard, Sethi's act of benevolence is apparently aimed at convincing the IPL authorities to include Pakistani players in the cash-rich tournament.

In the inaugural edition of the IPL, several Pakistani cricketers showed glimpses of their enigmatic flair and added an unique flavour to the league. The likes of Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir played a vital role in the triumph of Rajasthan Royals who were captained by the iconic Shane Warne. In fact, Tanvir ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker.

Since then, the cash-strapped Pakistani players have expressed interest in being a part of IPL. Najam Sethi stated, “We are going to try to persuade the Indians to play us in December. If that happens, we will also be talking about a reciprocal arrangement. And I have had preliminary talks with people in Delhi about Pakistani players being allowed to play in IPL and Indian players being allowed to play in PSL.”

Hoping that the hostility between both nations decreases significantly, Sethi said, “If the series takes place in December, the ground will be fertile. If you don't want our players to play in your league, okay, but at least let your players play in ours. It will be difficult for them to refuse that. There will be pressure from the players. If Indian players do come in, then I think PSL will become the biggest thing in cricket after IPL.”

Scheduled to be held in the UAE from February 4 to 24, the Pakistan Super League has enlisted the services of star cricketers such as Kevin Pietersen, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson. Former Indian all-rounder Robin Singh has also signed up in a coaching role.