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Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi on Tuesday denied any government role in Pakistani players' non-selection at the auction and said cricketers from across the border still have chance to be a part of the cash-awash Twenty20 event.
"Some teams have still not finished their quota of players and some players could drop out, franchises can choose Pakistani players as replacements or to fill," he said.
Modi refuted allegations that the whole issue was mishandled by the IPL. "I don't think there's any mishandling, the franchisees decide on their own. We never said in the first place that the government in any which way nudged up in that direction. So, it was a decision that was taken by the franchisees and let's leave it at that," Modi said.
All the 11 Pakistani players went unsold at the Mumbai auction earlier this month and Modi said it was the franchisees' decision to not pick them.
"There was no pre-decision. They were all worried about the availability and that's why the Australians weren't picked up along with many other players and all that we keep hearing now is one story -- about not bidding for Pakistani cricketers," Modi told news channel CNN-IBN.
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