Exclusion of Pak players was preplanned - Razzaq

The exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from this year's Indian Premier League tournament was a pre-plan, according to all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. Razzaq pointed to his own example as proof that the franchises were under instructions not to bid on any Pakistani players. Razzaq said he have signed a contract with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in August 2009 so he was already signed up to an IPL team before the 2010 IPL auction took place.

The presence was Pakistani all rounder in the IPL3 was problematic for those who wanted to ensure that no players from Pakistan took part. Razzaq was already under contract and they needed to find a way around this. So they convinced him to relinquish his contract with Kolkata and submit his name for the auction. Though he had already signed for Kolkata but they told him they wanted to add his name to the auction list. They said that he would be worth a lot more at auction than his current contract. So he signed a waiver on Kolkata contract and they got what they wanted.

Razzaq said it was a plan from the start, which they didn't allow any franchises to bid on Pakistani players. But they can't hide these things in the modern world; it's an open secret that this was a political decision from the Indian government. Razzaq said it's a shame that the world of sports is being dragged into politics because sport has the power to become a unifying force.