'IPL has done disservice to cricket'

Almost a week after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 3 auction in Mumbai, in which the Pakistani Players and the Government took as a snub - Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has reacted speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami. The Home Minister said the IPL has done a disservice to cricket.

And, reactions have come in from across the border on the Home Minister's reaction. Pakistan speedster Sohail Tanvir who played for Rajasthan Royals during the first edition of the IPL revealed that the situation could have been handled in a better way and expressed dissapointed while speaking to TIMES NOW.

Former skipper of Paksitan Ramiz Raja has welcomed what Chidambram said, but has expressed his dissapointment for the delay in the statement.

The IPL has reacted after Home Minister slammed it for snubbing the Pakistan players.

Refuting to speak on camera, the IPL has denied government interference and stated that the T20 league officials had never said that Indian government did not grant permission to Pakistan players.

Eleven Pakistani players, including cream of the Shahid Afridi-led reigning Twenty20 World Cup squad, were in IPL auction 3 fray but none of the eight IPL franchisees took interest in them, fearing the chill in Indo-Pak relation might worsen, resulting in non-participation of these players.

The uncertainty over their availability cost Pakistani players lucrative IPL contracts as apprehensive franchisees overlooked them in the auction.