Shoaib Akhtar Can Play In IPL

KARACHI: Controversial speedster Shoaib Akhtar's international career virtually came to an end with an appellate tribunal on Wednesday upholding the five-year ban imposed on him but allowed him to play in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

The appellate tribunal, in its interim ruling, said Akhtar could not play any match in or for Pakistan but gave him the liberty to play anywhere else in the world.

Justice (retd) Aftab Farrukh, heading the appellate tribunal, said the ban stayed because Shoaib did not try to reform himself.

"Basically he has not tried to reform himself and has continued to violate discipline. That is the view of the tribunal so the ban stays," told reporters in Lahore.

"This is also the order of the disciplinary committee of the Board that he can't play for or anywhere in Pakistan domestically or internationally. But there is no bar on him playing anywhere else in the world," Farrukh added.

Farrukh said the tribunal had taken this decision in view of the unconditional apology submitted by Shoaib on Monday to the nation, his team and the Board for his actions and deeds.

Farrukh said the tribunal would resume proceedings against the overall ban in June.

Akhtar had appealed against the five-year ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board for breaching players code of conduct by criticising the Board in media when he was already in the probation period.

The interim order basically appears to be a move to allow Shoaib to play in the Indian Premier League.

But the million dollar question is that whether the IPL will allow Shoaib to play in their League because earlier also their stance was clear that they wouldn't allow a banned player to play in their league. And the tribunal has not lifted the ban.

Farrukh also criticised Shoaib for the irreparable harm he had done to Pakistan cricket, his teammates and the trust of the nation.

Harbhajan Singh Banned From IPL

NEW DELHI: The IPL has banned volatile off-spinner and Mumbai Indians' stand-in skipper, Harbhajan Singh, for 11 IPL matches after finding him guilty of physically assaulting fellow Indian cricketer and Team Mohali bowler Sreesanth after an IPL game on Friday evening. According to IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, Harbhajan has also been fined 100% of his match fee for his conduct on the field.

The ban implies that Harbhajan stands to lose as much as Rs 3 crore as he will only be paid for the two matches that he played in the T20 league. Sreesanth too was given a warning on the basis of his behaviour in previous matches. Harbhajan's attack, however, was found to have been "unprovoked".

There could be further trouble for "bad boys" Harbhajan and Sreesanth as BCCI too has launched a probe into the spat which will examine the backdrop to the assault.

Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput was also found guilty of "conduct flouting the spirit of the game". "It's a Level 2 offence. He was fined 50% of his match fee as well. In the video footage, Lalchand was standing right behind Harbhajan and he could have stopped the incident from happening. He didn't take any step to restrain him from behaving like that. Instead, he stood there and was found laughing in the tape," a top BCCI official told TOI.

The ugly incident between Harbhajan and Sreesanth occurred a few minutes after the Mumbai team lost to Team Mohali. Images of a profusely weeping Sreesanth were aired on TV after the fiasco. Footage made available to the match referee Farokh Engineer shows Harbhajan shaking hands with Team Mohali members after the match.

Said Modi: "Then, the video shows Harbhajan slapping Sreesanth instead of giving him a handshake. I would like to make it clear to all players that the cricket board is not going to spare anyone who crosses the limit." Modi added that Harbhajan had accepted he slapped the pacer under no provocation and the match referee states this in his report.

"As a penalty for the Level 4.2 offence committed by Harbhajan Singh, we hereby order that Singh be banned for the rest of the league matches of the first IPL event," he said while announcing Engineer's verdict here in a city hotel on Monday, after the IPL inquiry committee examined the footage of the incident and consulted representatives from both teams.

"Harbhajan Singh will also be fined 100% of his match fee that may have been paid or may hereafter be paid to him in respect of the remaining matches only. That does not take into account any of the two earlier matches (prior to Friday) that he may have played," Modi added.

Engineer, who conducted the hearing, said: "Harbhajan accepted his guilt. It can happen to any cricketer and I am glad that Harbhajan knows where he has gone wrong." The former Indian cricketer then announced: "Sreesanth has been warned to behave well on the field."

Later, while addressing the gathering, Harbhajan hugged and shook hands with the Kerala fast bowler.

IPL Maches Schedule

April 19 : Delhi v Jaipur at Delhi
April 20: Mumbai v Bangalore at Mumbai;Kolkata v Hyderabad at Kolkata
April 21: Jaipur v Mohali at Jaipur
April 22: Hyderabad v Delhi at Hyderabad
April 23: Chennai v Mumbai at Chennai
April 24: Hyderabad v Jaipur at Hyderabad
April 25: Mohali v Mumbai at Mohali
April 26: Bangalore v Jaipur at Bangalore; Chennai v Kolkata at Chennai
April 27: Mumbai v Hyderabad at Mumbai;Mohali v Delhi at Mohali
April 28: Bangalore v Chennai at Bangalore
April 29: Kolkata v Mumbai at Kolkata
April 30: Delhi v Bangalore at Delhi.
May 1: Hyderabad v Mohali at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Kolkata at Jaipur
May 2: Chennai v Delhi at Chennai.
May 3: Hyderabad at Bangalore at Hyderabad; Mohali v Kolkata at Mohali
May 4: Mumbai v Delhi at Mumbai; Jaipur v Chennai at Jaipur
May 5: Bangalore v Mohali at Bangalore
May 6: Chennai v Hyderabad at Chennai
May 7: Mumbai v Jaipur at Mumbai
May 8: Delhi v Chennai at Delhi; Kolkata v Bangalore at Kolkata
May 9: Jaipur v Hyderabad at Jaipur
May 10: Bangalore v Mumbai at Bangalore; Chennai v Mohali at Chennai
May 11: Hyderabad v Kolkata at Hyderabad; Jaipur v Delhi at Jaipur
May 12: Mohali v Bangalore at Mohali
May 13: Kolkata v Delhi at Kolkata
May 14: Mumbai v Chennai at Mumbai;Mohali v Jaipur at Mohali
May 15: Delhi v Hyderabad at Delhi
May 16: Mumbai v Kolkata at Mumbai
May 17: Delhi v Mohali at Delhi; Jaipur v Bangalore at Jaipur
May 18: Hyderabad v Mumbai at Hyderabad; Kolkata v Chenna at Kolkata
May 19: Bangalore v Delhi at Bangalore
May 20: Kolkata v Jaipur at Kolkata
May 21: Mumbai v Mohali at Mumbai; Chennai v Bangalore at Chennai
May 22: Delhi v Kolkata at Delhi
May 23: Mohali v Hyderabad at Mohali.
May 24: Delhi v Mumbai at Delhi; Chennai v Jaipur at Chennai
May 25: Bangalore v Hyderabad at Bangalore; Kolkata v Mohali at Kolkata
May 26: Jaipur v Mumbai at Jaipur
May 27: Hyderabad v Chennai at Hyderabad
May 28 and 29: Rest days
May 30: First semi-final at Mumbai
May 31: Second semi-final at Mumbai
June 1: Final at Mumbai