April 05, 2017
Bollywood veteran actor Rishi Kapoor on Tuesday took to Twitter to address his plea for the consideration of Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL) again.
The actor, widely discussed for his Twitter presence, tweeted regarding the inclusion of Pakistani players, prior to the beginning of IPL 2017.
IPL. You got world players. Afghanistan makes debut. My plea is please consider Pakistani players.Phir match hoga! Hum bade log hain.Please!
— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) 4 April 2017
“IPL. You got world players. Afghanistan makes debut. My plea is please consider Pakistani players. Phir match hoga! Hum bade log hain. Please!” said Rishi in his tweet.
The actor is encouraging authorities to have a big heart and invite players from Pakistan to participate in IPL. He praised the existence of foreign players and debut of Afghanistan in IPL.
Rishi Kapoor alongside late legendary cricket star Mansoor Ali Khan, father of actor Saif Ali Khan.
Although many local Indian fans responded to the tweet with hostile comments, yet still, Rishi's effort to endorse peace between India and Pakistan can be admired.
No Pakistani cricketer has featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after its inaugural season in 2008.
The following Pakistani players participated in the debut season of IPL:
Shoaib Malik | Delhi Daredevils |
Shahid Afridi | Deccan Chargers |
Younis Khan | Rajasthan Royals |
M Asif | Delhi Daredevils |
Kamran Akmal | Rajasthan Royals |
Umar Gul | Kolkata Knight Riders |
M Hafeez | Kolkata Knight Riders |
Salman Butt | Kolkata Knight Riders |
Misbah ul Haq | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
Shoaib Akhtar | Kolkata Knight Riders |
Sohail Tanvir | Rajasthan Royals |
The subsequent season (IPL 2), all eleven Pakistani players were barred and withdrawn from their franchise teams, and none have participated since.