Thaindian News

Lahore, June 23 (ANI): With Pakistan pocketing the ICC World Twenty20 Championship, speculations are rife that Pakistani players would once again feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Several IPL franchises, who had signed Pakistani players for their respective teams, are hoping that the players would return for the third season of the IPL in 2010, after heightened tension between India and Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack, forced the players to sit out of the cricket extravaganza this year.

One of the players, Sohail Tanvir, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, could don the navy blue jersey once again, when his side takes on Middlesex at Lord’s in a one-off game scheduled to be held on July 6.

The Rajasthan Royals co-owner, Manoj Badale said Tanvir’s participation in the match is ’subject to his availability’.

The match which is being organized by the British Asian Trust, would be held two days before the first Ashes Test starts.

Pakistan would also begin its tour of Sri Lanka on July 4, but that would not affect Tanvir’s outing with the Royals, as he is not a part of the Test team.

However, another Rajasthan Royals Pakistani player, Kamran Akmal, would not be available for the Lord’s encounter, as he will be on national duty.

The IPL chairman Lalit Modi has also made it clear that the league has ‘no problem’ letting Pakistan players play in the next edition in March 2010.

Modi, however, noted that it is for the governments of the two countries to decide to let the players play.

While the IPL franchises had signed 11 Pakistani players in the league’s first season, contracts of only four players were retained in the second season. (ANI)