IPL yet to decide on Shoaib ban

The Indian Premier League is yet to finalise its position on barring Shoaib Akhtar, the banned Pakistan fast bowler, from playing in the inaugural season of the tournament.

The IPL is waiting for the Pakistan Cricket Board to forward the court papers that upheld Shoaib's five-year ban on Wednesday, and is also considering a personal request from PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf, to let Shoaib play in the Twenty20 event, IS Bindra, a member of the IPL governing council, told Cricinfo.

"We are yet to finalise our position because we will first have to examine what the court papers relating to the ban says," Bindra said. "We can arrive at a decision only after that. There is no time-limit to this as the PCB has to obtain these papers first, and then forward them to IPL."

Bindra also said the IPL was seriously "considering a personal request" from Ashraf to let Shoaib play so that he could "earn his livelihood".

Shoaib was signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders for US$ 425,000 but was barred from appearing in the tournament by the IPL council "in the interests of international discipline" after the PCB banned him on disciplinary grounds last month.

On Wednesday, a three-member appellate tribunal headed by retired judge Aftab Farrukh, which was set up to hear Shoaib's appeal against the PCB's decision, upheld the ban. Minutes after the tribunal announced its decision, an IPL spokesperson had told Cricinfo that their position on barring the player from the tournament remained the same, but Bindra suggested on Thursday that Ashraf's request has prompted a rethink.

A Kolkata spokesperson said that the franchise would abide by whatever decision the IPL council took on the issue but would "obviously be pleased" if Shoaib was cleared to play.