The Indian Premier League on Friday terminated the contracts of six Pakistan players, a fall out of the deteriorating political relations between the two nations. The contracts of four other Pakistanis have been "suspended" after the Pakistan government declined permission to its players to take part in the second edition of the lucrative Twenty20 event in April-May for security reasons.
Newly-appointed Pakistan captain Younis Khan, his predecessor Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt and Mohammad Hafeez found their contracts terminated by their respective franchises. "By deciding not to take part this year, these players have gone against the rules of the IPL," tournament boss Lalit Modi told reporters. "A player can pull out only if he is injured or has an international Test or one-day commitment.
The franchises have the option of either terminating their contract or suspending it. "If they terminate the contract, the player becomes a free agent and the team gets an additional slot at the auction." A franchise official said the tense relations between the two governments over last November's Mumbai attacks, which India has blamed on elements in Pakistan, forced a decision to terminate the contracts.
"The Pakistanis are not coming this year and it is unclear when they will play next in India," the official, who did not want to be named, told AFP. "It makes no sense to keep them. We can now use that money on players who will play."
The players whose contracts were suspended - meaning they could play next year - were Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal of defending champions Rajasthan Royals, Umar Gul of Kolkata Knightriders and Misbah-ul Haq of Bangalore Royal Challengers. The Pakistanis were contracted for varying periods of one to three years at amounts ranging from 100,000 dollars to 700,000 dollars a year.
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