An open letter to IPL Managing Committee

IPL Managing Committee,

I would like to start by saying that I’m an average Indian who is mad about cricket. So by default, I support India, no matter what. This support intensifies especially while playing Pakistan. I guess the same goes for Pakistani fans too. They also love their team like we love ours. But then, both sets of fans have misjudged each other team’s support.

Yes, in each and every page involving cricket I have seen on Facebook, Pakistani fans and Indian fans are fighting. But if one looks closely, it’s barely 10% of the fans who fight like this.

Mixing sport with politics has always been a bad idea.

The other 90% of the fans, including me, yearn for a competitive India vs Pakistan match. How many timeless memories have been produced by the players? Ever since the partition, India and Pakistan have been fierce against each other in all aspects, especially in cricket. Coincidentally, almost every match both the countries have played against each other has given us unforgettable memories. Remember Miandad’s last ball six? Or the battle between V Prasad and Amar Sohail? How can one forget the epic 2003 World Cup match or the 2011 semifinals at Mohali?

After the 2008 blasts, the Indian and Pakistan governments have been pretty sour to each other. And thus, even the cricket relationships have soured. Just when things were getting better, the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team stopped any progression for competitive international cricket matches. Finally after 4 years, the BCCI agreed for an ODI and T20 series against Pakistan. The series, though lost, was pretty close and as usual, managed to keep us at the edge of our seats.

Now I know the conditions in Pakistan have been pretty bad for over 2 years and it’s barely better now. But what harm is done if the Pakistani players play in IPL?

The first IPL, in which Pakistani players featured, was in my opinion the best till now. Sohail Tanvir’s extraordinary bowling, Akthar ripping apart his oppositions, batsmen like Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi entertaining the crowd with huge hits over the stands, was all extremely memorable.

But  since then, no Pakistani players have been involved in IPL. My question is, what did the Pakistani players and the fans do wrong that we have are neglecting them from the IPL auctions?

They haven’t done anything wrong for such a punishment. I mean, yes, they have been unfortunate in recent times as they were involved in the spot-fixing scandal but it doesn’t mean all the players are guilty. There is practically no need for their exclusion from IPL anymore.

So on behalf of many other fans who feel the same, I request to allow Pakistani players permission to play in future IPL’s.

Yours truly,

A sincere cricket fan.