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It won’t be an exaggeration to say that, as things currently stand, the relations between India and Pakistan are at their lowest. Since the terror attack in Pahalgam, things have only spiralled out of control, with the two nations being at loggerheads. This has had an evident impact on the cricket between India and Pakistan. Two matches of the World Championship of Legends were called off, and although the world witnessed three India-Pakistan matches at the Asia Cup, the equation between the players was anything but cordial. The no-handshake saga, which culminated in ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi fleeing the scene with India's Asia Cup-winning trophy, only escalated matters further, with no immediate end to the coldness in sight.
As things seemingly refuse to improve, Pakistan great Wasim Akram has urged the ICC to take matters into its hands. Akram, the greatest left-arm pacer of all time, has sent a loud message to the International Cricket Council to keep 'politics away from sports’, which will put an end to years of animosity between the two countries as far as cricket goes. Akram brings up the old topic, hoping to see Pakistani cricketers featured in the IPL and vice versa, insisting that 'every player from every country' should be picked in T20 leagues.
"I’m sorry. But what I don’t like in cricket is politics. Straightforward. Sports should be kept away from politics. In league cricket, pick every player from every nation. Be brave. Be bigger. But that's not happening, unfortunately. And I think that's where the ICC comes in. That's where cricket boards come in. It doesn’t matter who owns the league. It doesn’t matter who owns the teams. Every player from every nation should be picked," Akram said in an interview with Wisden Cricket.
The backdrop
Pakistan cricketers weren't always banned from playing the IPL. In fact, several of them featured in the inaugural edition back in 2008, with Shoaib Akhtar playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and Kamran Akmal for the Rajasthan Royals. Sohail Tanvir, was, in fact, the leading wicket-taker in the season for his 22 scalps. However, after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the BCCI showed the exit door to Pakistan and its cricketers, and they have yet to play the IPL since.
Pakistan's heinous acts outside the ground even impacted India-Pakistan bilateral cricket ties. The last played a Test series in 2007 and ODIs in 2012/13. The only occasions India and Pakistan play cricket today are during ICC or ACC events.
