By Omar Khalid, IANS,
Karachi : Defending champions of Indian Premier League (IPL) Rajasthan Royals have invited two of its players from Pakistan to South Africa for a meeting to settle a payment row.
A representative of the agency currently dealing with the payment issue on behalf of the IPL players said Thursday that Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal, who featured in Royal’s title-winning campaign in the inaugural IPL, will make a three-day trip to South Africa later this month to sort out the issue.
The official said other players including former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and Salman Butt will also go to South Africa to have a similar meeting with their respective IPL franchises.
The official also said the players will make a brief stop-over in England on their way to South Africa to meet Tim May, the FICA chief, in London.
“The Pakistani cricketers were given a raw deal by the IPL and now we are trying our best to ensure that they get their dues as soon as possible,” said the official.
A large number of Pakistani cricketers featured in the IPL last summer. Some of them including Tanvir – who finished as the most successful bowler in the contest – were regarded among the success stories of the inaugural season.
However, the Pakistani players were forced to pull out of the second edition of IPL in the wake of last November’s terrorist attack in Mumbai that strained Pakistan-India relations.