Sri Lankan player Dilshan has decided to play KPL despite Indian pressure while Gibbs criticises Indian board for barring him from playing Kashmir Premier League.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-July 31st, 2021) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started spoiling cricket by opposing Kashmir Premier League (KPL) in Pakistan.
The Indian board has warned other cricket boards for allowed their players to play in the KPL.
According to a local private TV, all the foreign cricketers withdrew from the event due to BCCI threat which is set to begin on August 6. They
KPL President Arif Malik, however, has made it clear that the schedule league would go as it was scheduled.
The sources said that the Indian board threatened the foreign players through their agents, conveying them a message that if they went to KPL the door of IPL would be shut down for them.
Sources said that BCCI officials contacted the English and African cricket boards and threatened to ban their players from entering India if they participate in the KPL.
The English and African boards stopped their players from taking part in the KPL until further orders.
Herschelle Gibbs, Matt Prior, Phil Mustard, Owais Shah, Tenu Best and Monty Panser are the players who have withdrawn so far, according to the tv report.
Taking to Twitter, Gibbs strongly criticized the Indian board. He said, “Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20," he tweeted on Saturday.
“Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous,” he added.
Pakistan Cricket Board under the new situation is expected to issue no-objection certificates to Shadab and Fakhar Zaman. Muhammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi are among the organizers.
Given the situation, the KPL management apologized to the remaining foreign players.
However, Sri Lankan player Tillakaratne Dilshan who was playing for the Muzaffarabad Tigers announced to play in the KPL despite the Indian pressure.
Arshad Khan Tanoli, the chairperson of Dilshan's franchise, had given assurance of complete security to the star cricketer. He said that the Sri Lankan star's participation is a slap on the face of the Indian cricket board.
He urged the other foreign players to follow Dilshan.
The KPL 18 matches will start from August 6 to August 17. Foolproof security arrangements have been made for the players and staff members.
