March 23, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

LAHORE, March 22: Pakistan’s fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and Australian captain Ricky Ponting have been offered a bigger sum to play for the Indian Premier League (IPL), sources told Dawn on Saturday.

Both Shoaib and Ponting who will be representing the Kolkata Knight Riders, were reluctant to play in the IPL, starting from April 18, after receiving meagre amounts in the bidding.

Shoaib received only US$425,000 plus US$350,000 as guarantee money in the first bidding. But sources said that Shoaib and Ponting negotiated with the Riders’ mentor, Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan, who then offered Shoaib another amount of US$ one million. The bowler, after tax deductions, would now be receiving around US$1.6 million while Ponting gets around US$1.4 million.

The decision was taken on Saturday when Shoaib visited India again to convince Shahrukh Khan.

Shoaib is not concerned about the disciplinary inquiries initiated against him by the PCB for issuing a press statement against the board, sources added. Any decision by the inquiry would not have an effect on Shoaib’s contract with the IPL because the bowler has also sought surety from the organisers of the league in this regard, sources further said.

Shoaib, after this new offer, has become one of the highest paid cricketers from Pakistan, much ahead of Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq and others.