Need environment to recruit Pakistani players, says SRK

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AHMEDABAD - Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, Wednesday said there was a need for creating an environment where Indian Premier League (IPL) franchisees can recruit Pakistani players with ease.

Shah Rukh, who was here to promote his upcoming film, told mediapersons that but for the fact that his team had exhausted it’s quota of foreign players by picking up Shane Bond, he would have loved to have the Pakistani players in Kolkata Knight Riders.

It is essential to create a conducive environment, Khan said, pointing out that his team had a number of Pakistani players in the first season of IPL.

None of the 11 Pakistani players was picked in last week’s auction, leaving the cricketers angry and humiliated. The issue snowballed into a diplomatic row with Pakistan calling it a deliberate ploy of India and an insult.

IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi and franchise owners Friday denied any “conspiracy” to keep the Pakistani players out of the third edition of the cash-rich Twenty20 league tournament.

Modi and the city-based team owners also said they owe no explanation as to why they did not pick any Pakistani player at the auction.

However, they later let it be known that the decision was based on commercial considerations since it was not certain that the Pakistani players bought at the auction would be available to the farnchisees for the matches.