Champions League T20 2013 news

Cloud over Faisalabad's CLT20 foray

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have put a cloud over Faisalabad Wolves' participation in next month's Champions League Twenty20. An incident on the border has inflamed emotions in India and left administrators wary of the public response to a Pakistan team's presence for a sporting occasion.
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The BCCI has, as in the past, thrown the ball in the government's court. "When it comes to any team from Pakistan featuring in a tournament in India, the final decision rests completely in the foreign ministry's hands. And we will follow the ministry's advice," a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.

The Ministry of External Affairs - the foreign ministry - has been non-committal. "We have been approached by a cricket team from Pakistan to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 event," a spokesperson in the MEA was quoted as saying by PTI. "It does not start for a month. We will carefully examine (the situation) before we take a decision in this regard."

The CLT20 governing council is likely to arrive at a final decision regarding the Wolves' participation before the month end; the tournament itself starts on September 17. Rajiv Shukla, a BCCI representative on the CLT20 governing council and a junior minister in the federal government, didn't respond to ESPNcricinfo's query.

The PCB, on the other hand, has said it "remained concerned" about the security of Faisalabad Wolves' cricketers. Despite processing the visa applications of the Wolves' squad members on Monday, the PCB is monitoring the situation closely.