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Imagine a joint India-Pakistan Twenty20 league , combining the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the upcoming tournament across the border. That is just what Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Muhammad Zaka Ashraf dreams about, as part of his "futuristic approach" towards bringing the countries closer through cricket.
A gung-ho Ashraf revealed his "far sightedness" a day after the Indian government cleared the Pakistani team's visit to India in December-January for a short series - the first one in five years.
Ashraf also said the PCB would soon invite Indian players for its own Twenty20 league that will be launched on March 25, a day after Pakistan's tour of South Africa ends.
"I have a futuristic approach and I see a joint India-Pakistan twenty20 league. If the two leagues are combined, it would be the biggest league in the world. Imagine what that league would do," Ashraf told Mail Today in an exclusive interview.
"I am talking about future. This is my far sightedness. First, the bilateral series should be revised, which is being done, and then we can have a joint India-Pakistan twenty20 league," he wished.
Ashraf, who had a first-hand experience of the IPL's success in May when he watched the final in Chennai on a BCCI invitation, said it was the first time he was sharing his plan of a joint T20 league. "I have not discussed this plan with anyone, including the BCCI," he said.
Asked whether the cash-rich IPL needs a helping hand at all, since it has already been established as a successful T20 competition, the PCB chief said all businesses continuously need to innovate and improve.
"All businesses need new products. IPL also needs new products [to continue to flourish]. And there would be no problem in scheduling a joint league," he said.
Interestingly, PCB's own proposed twenty20 league has not taken off as yet. Ashraf, however, said that it would definitely start immediately after Pakistan's tour of South Africa in March.
"The league would start a day after the Pakistan's tour. It would be a short tournament, though in subsequent years it would become a longer one," he said.
According to the schedule, the Pakistan T20 league would be an eight-day affair and will start on March 25.
Ashraf said that foreign players, including Indians, would be invited for the league. "We will invite foreign players. We will also invite Indian players, though I know that the BCCI doesn't allow them to play in such leagues abroad," he said. "But we don't see any boundaries; there are no boundaries in cricket."
The Pakistan league would not clash with the 2013 IPL as it ends with the final on April 1 while the Indian league runs from April 3 to May 26.
Ashraf also demanded that Pakistani players be permitted to ply their trade in the lucrative IPL.
"Pakistanis should be allowed to play in the IPL; it is a good tournament. Both India and Pakistan should release their players for each other. That would encourage and strengthen bilateral ties," he said.
Pakistanis played in the just one IPL edition, the opening one in 2008, before the bilateral cricket ties were snapped following the Mumbai terror attacks in November that year.
Asked if the issue of IPL was raised when he met BCCI president N Srinivasan during the recent World T20 in Sri Lanka, Ashraf said: "We did not discuss IPL. Once the bilateral series starts, we can talk about that."
The bilateral series is now set to resume on December 25 with the first of the two Twenty20 Internationals in Bangalore. The short series would also comprise three One-day Internationals.
Exclusive: PCB chief Ashraf proposes joint T20 Indo-Pak league : Cricket, News - India Today
A gung-ho Ashraf revealed his "far sightedness" a day after the Indian government cleared the Pakistani team's visit to India in December-January for a short series - the first one in five years.
Ashraf also said the PCB would soon invite Indian players for its own Twenty20 league that will be launched on March 25, a day after Pakistan's tour of South Africa ends.
"I have a futuristic approach and I see a joint India-Pakistan twenty20 league. If the two leagues are combined, it would be the biggest league in the world. Imagine what that league would do," Ashraf told Mail Today in an exclusive interview.
"I am talking about future. This is my far sightedness. First, the bilateral series should be revised, which is being done, and then we can have a joint India-Pakistan twenty20 league," he wished.
Ashraf, who had a first-hand experience of the IPL's success in May when he watched the final in Chennai on a BCCI invitation, said it was the first time he was sharing his plan of a joint T20 league. "I have not discussed this plan with anyone, including the BCCI," he said.
Asked whether the cash-rich IPL needs a helping hand at all, since it has already been established as a successful T20 competition, the PCB chief said all businesses continuously need to innovate and improve.
"All businesses need new products. IPL also needs new products [to continue to flourish]. And there would be no problem in scheduling a joint league," he said.
Interestingly, PCB's own proposed twenty20 league has not taken off as yet. Ashraf, however, said that it would definitely start immediately after Pakistan's tour of South Africa in March.
"The league would start a day after the Pakistan's tour. It would be a short tournament, though in subsequent years it would become a longer one," he said.
According to the schedule, the Pakistan T20 league would be an eight-day affair and will start on March 25.
Ashraf said that foreign players, including Indians, would be invited for the league. "We will invite foreign players. We will also invite Indian players, though I know that the BCCI doesn't allow them to play in such leagues abroad," he said. "But we don't see any boundaries; there are no boundaries in cricket."
The Pakistan league would not clash with the 2013 IPL as it ends with the final on April 1 while the Indian league runs from April 3 to May 26.
Ashraf also demanded that Pakistani players be permitted to ply their trade in the lucrative IPL.
"Pakistanis should be allowed to play in the IPL; it is a good tournament. Both India and Pakistan should release their players for each other. That would encourage and strengthen bilateral ties," he said.
Pakistanis played in the just one IPL edition, the opening one in 2008, before the bilateral cricket ties were snapped following the Mumbai terror attacks in November that year.
Asked if the issue of IPL was raised when he met BCCI president N Srinivasan during the recent World T20 in Sri Lanka, Ashraf said: "We did not discuss IPL. Once the bilateral series starts, we can talk about that."
The bilateral series is now set to resume on December 25 with the first of the two Twenty20 Internationals in Bangalore. The short series would also comprise three One-day Internationals.
Exclusive: PCB chief Ashraf proposes joint T20 Indo-Pak league : Cricket, News - India Today
