Seventeen Tomatoes

Indian Premier League (IPL) had an auction for its third edition yesterday and none of the Pakistani players were picked up by any of the franchise.  Was this just business or was there something more to it?  At the face value it looks like business as usual with franchise paying huge bucks for the players they “need” but the players who have been in last two finals of T20 World Cup and have won the last one, do not make the cut. Odd, isn’t it?  The story gets odder when you consider the fact that it was franchises who had pushed the league to bring Pakistani players for auction this year.  Was this a way for Indians to humiliate Pakistanis as it is being dubbed by Pakistani players and media ?

Indians and Pakistanis (including the cricket boards) are having a frosty relations since 26/11.  At first it was justified because of the way the attacks were carried out although it didn’t made an iota of difference to me or my friends from across the border.  Recently though things seem to have gone better with Indian movies being released (with ‘Wanted’ and ‘3 Idiots’ being one of the biggest hits across the border), Manmohan Singh extending an olive branch (though he was snubbed back home) and possibility of cricket being played between the two countries.  So then what happened at the auction? Why were the Pakistani cricketers snubbed?

I don’t think Indians wanted to humiliate their counterparts but it was the fear of the unknown that may have prevented any of the franchise to auction for Pakistani players.  Fear about non-availability of players or non-issuance of visa seems to have scared franchise, who have become really money-conscious in these recessionary times.   Although, as a cricket fan I would have loved to see new talents like,  Umar Akmal or Mohammed Aamer, or Superstar cricketer like Afridi playing for one of the teams.  It’s a shame we won’t this year.  It will take time for IPL to become Indian Pakistanis-are-welcome League.