JOIN USNow, Afridi not interested in IPL!
A day after a website had quoted Afridi as saying he has gotten over the anger at being “snubbed” in the IPL auction and was open to play in the Twenty20 event in future, the star cricketer on Wednsday took a different and more strident stand on his availability.
“I am not at all interested in taking part in the IPL. These issues of Pakistani cricketers should have been sorted out before the auction,” Afridi said.
“I have forgotten what happened in the IPL auction in Mumbai. But everybody in Pakistan is very disappointed and angry with the insult. So good luck to Modi and his IPL,” Afridi said.
All the 11 Pakistani players in the 67-strong pool went unsold in the glitzy auction in Mumbai on January 19, prompting angry reactions from Pakistan.
“Mere apology can’t compensate the humiliation Pakistan cricketers faced during the auction,” Afridi said.
Afridi was also of the view that Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram’s statements have only vindicated Pakistan’s claim that their players were insulted.
“The statements of Shah Rukh Khan and Chidambaram have confirmed that the Pakistani cricketers were not treated properly in the auction,” he said.
TJAC assurance
With the IPL 3 opening ceremony being shifted to Mumbai due to the Telangana unrest, the Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) on Wednesday expressed its support to the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) and requested them to hold the opening ceremony and the inaugural match in the city as per the original schedule, adds DHNS.
“The sports-loving people of Hyderabad are being deprived of a chance to witness a world-class sporting event in Hyderabad,” Professor Kodanda Ram, convenor of TJAC said in a statement.
“We are not against sports. The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket stadium at Uppal is one of the best in the country and deserves to host the inaugural match. We, the members of Telangana Joint Action Committee, will support HCA, if it is required to host additional matches in Hyderabad.”
A meeting was held in this connection between representatives TJAC and HCA on Wednesday.