IPL auction fallout: Modi 'betrayed' Pak players, says Butt - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Accusing Indian Premier League (IPL) Chairman Lalit Modi of 'betraying' Pakistani players, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt has said that he would take up the issue of the treatment meted out to the cricketers during the IPL auction with the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI). "I had several discussions with Lalit on the participation of our players in the IPL this year and he had assured me they would get a chance to play in the tournament," Butt said. Disappointed at the snub, Butt said he was surprised to see that none of Pakistani cricketers were acquired during the IPL-3's auction held in Mumbai on Tuesday. "The IPL had given us the mandate to get permission from our foreign office, to obtain other clearances and to finalise visas. We did all this, but it is a surprise that none of them have been taken at the auction. We have been trying to get in touch with the concerned authorities but with no avail. I have asked the sports minister to speak to his counterpart in India about this," The Daily Times quoted Butt, as saying. Butt's latest stand over the issue is in complete contrast to his earlier remarks, in which he had said that it hardly matters whether Pakistani cricketers participate in the IPL or not. "It really does not bother us; what difference does it make to us if our players don't play in the IPL this season? They didn't play in the last season as well," Butt had said earlier.