LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has sought information from the Indian Premier League (IPL) authorities regarding the status of contracted Pakistani players for the second edition of the league which is to start in South Africa from April 18.

Well-informed sources told Dawn that though all the players of the IPL had independent contracts with the league, the PCB could provide help in getting information about their current status in the league.

Around seven Pakistani cricketers are still affiliated with the IPL, namely Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.

The second edition of the IPL was originally scheduled to be held in India but was shifted to South Africa after the government failed to ensure fool-proof security arrangements for the matches due to next month’s general elections.

After the Mumbai carnage last November, the political situation between Pakistan and India was tense and the Pakistan government had refused to grant permission to home players to play in India for the IPL. However, with the league’s shifting to South Africa last month, the situation changed considerably. The Pakistani players have already expressed their concern over IPL’s decision of ignoring them despite the fact that their contracts are still valid.

All seven players have a substantial amount running into several million dollars at stake but since all the said players are to represent Pakistan in the upcoming series against Australia, they cannot be released by the PCB to play all matches of the IPL, which will continue till May 24.