Pakistan Cricketers in 2012 IPL 5 Season May be a Reality

This is not an empty hope for the Pakistan cricket and cricket lovers in Pakistan. Rather it is one of the promises that the new IPL chairman hopes to deliver. If the Pakistan cricketers would return to IPL, it would certainly make the already interesting team line ups rather interesting. But can another embarrassment with the Pakistan cricketers be avoided?

Sohail Tanvir

The Pakistan cricketers managed to play just one season – the inaugural IPL season in 2008. And one may recall that Sohail Tanvir ( in the picture above ) was the sensational wicket taker for the Rajasthan Royals team led by Shane Warne. However, happy moments for the Pakistan cricketers in the IPL were short lived in the aftermath of the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. With the Indo Pak relations strained, cricket took an instant hit in that India cancelled their tour of Pakistan and the Pakistan cricketers saw their suspended contracts with the various IPL franchisees eventually cancelled.

Although the Pakistan cricketers were allowed to put their names into the ring ahead of the IPL 3 auctions, the fact that not one of the Pakistan cricketers were selected created a controversy that further added to the dejection, disappointment and fury that saw words traded in support and otherwise in a rather volatile environment.

Now it appears once again the door is being opened, ever so slowly and so marginally, as the IPL chairman, Rajiv Shukla, is promising that the issue of the possibility of the Pakistan cricketers participating in the IPL 5 in 2012 will be taken up at the next IPL governing council meeting comes as heartwarming for cricketers and board officials across the border who have been appealing for the resumption of the Indo Pakistan cricket ties, particularly since that tremendous ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semi final in Mohali which picked up a record audience.

For the Pakistan cricketers, if the real deal were to come through, it would open up the windfall once more accruing from the IPL although once more they may face a situation where the IPL teams may have more or less settled in on their core team and therefore, few Pakistan cricketers could be selected if it is indeed decided that the Pakistan cricketers would be welcome for the IPL 5 edition. For Pakistan cricket though, their greater agenda remains the resumption of Indo Pak cricket because that would get the Pakistan Cricket Board to earn some much need moolah as well.