New Delhi, Feb. 4 -- It's been 17 years that no Pakistani players have been a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL). As many as 12 stars from the cross-border country were signed in the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, but after the terrorists attacks in Mumbai and the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to ban the Pakistani players from the world's richest franchise league.

Since then, there have been several instances of Pakistan players expressing their interest in playing in the IPL as the cricketers of both countries share a cordial relation among them. However, considering the political indifferences between the two countries, Pakistan players are not allowed in ...