“Our condition was that the ban must be lifted or suspended. In that effect, Shoaib is now allowed to play in the IPL. We’ve spoken to him and he should be coming to India in the next two days,” Modi told a television channel.

The IPL chief said he was in touch with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf, who confirmed the suspension of the ban on Akhtar.

Modi said with the tribunal clearing the deck for Akhtar’s participation for the remainder of the IPL, the speedster was naturally happy.

“Shoaib was very happy and he is looking forward to it. He has been calling me on a daily basis.”

Akhtar joining the Kolkata Knight Riders squad would also add sheen to the tournament, Modi said. “It’s a great moment for us because he is a great asset for IPL. He has got a huge fan base in India and the Knight Riders are extremely happy.

“I spoke to (Knight Riders owner) Shah Rukh (Khan), he is very happy. He wanted Shoaib to come for one day at least. We are happy that Shoaib can now play for him,” Modi said.

Modi said the pacer could play the next match for the Kolkata outfit, even though it was upto the team management to take a final call on the issue.

“He’s free to play from the next match itself but it would depend on when he gets down here. The trainer and physio will check him, the coach would go through the process. So whether he would play the next match or not, it’s for the Knight Riders to decide,” Modi said.

The Pakistan tribunal, which suspended Akhtar’s ban, said it would have been unfair to bar the paceman from playing. “Obviously, it is going to take so time to dispose of this case. The tribunal felt that preventing him from playing in the league would have been an additional penalty on him,” he added.

He made it clear that the ban would be reinforced on June 4, when the hearing re-starts. “This is a great relief for me as I am keen to play in the IPL. But this is just one battle won and we still have to win the final case,” Akhtar told reporters after the hearing at the National Cricket Academy.

“It is a big relief but my eventual aim remains to be cleared of the ban and play for my country,” he added.

Akhtar has not played any competitive cricket apart from one first-class match in late February after which he was banned. He was not selected for the home one-day series against Zimbabwe and was under ban when Bangla desh played here in a ODI series in April.