By Kahlid Hussain
Karachi, Dec 10 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hopeful about the participation of their players in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

A PCB spokesman said there are hopes that Pakistani cricketers will feature in the cash-rich league as reports came in that the Indian home ministry has cleared visas of four players.

“We have been told that there have been some positive developments regarding the IPL issue,” a PCB spokesman told IANS Thursday.

“We are expecting something concrete to emerge within the next 24 hours,” he added.

The four players who have been issued visas are Sohail Tanvir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal.

India’s decision to issue the visas came just a couple of days after IPL chief Lalit Modi announced that Pakistani players would have to be left out of IPL 3 since they didn’t have their paperwork in order despite two extensions to the deadline.

The PCB spokesman once again underlined the fact that the board had furnished all the required documentation before the end of the deadline, adding that the issuance of visas has been done by authorities on the other side of the border.

Meanwhile, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said he is hopeful that the IPL organisers might extend the deadline for Pakistani players. The deadline expired Dec 7.

“Give us a couple of days and everything will be settled,” he said.

“We are still hopeful of Pakistan players’ participation in next year’s IPL.”

Pakistani cricketers missed this year’s edition of IPL after their government decided against clearing their visit to India because of security concerns in the aftermath of November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The tournament was later shifted to South Africa but by then the players’ participation in the event was ruled out.

Pakistani cricketers took part in the IPL’s inaugural season in April-May 2008.