NEW DELHI, April 14: Kolkata Knight Riders team owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan said on Monday that while he wanted Pakistan pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar to play in Indian Premier League (IPL), it was up to BCCI to take a decision on that.

Addressing a press conference here, Shah Rukh said he was keen to have the Rawalpindi Express in his team but would leave it to the Indian cricket board to rule on Shoaib’s participation.

The IPL starts on April 18 and organisers have said that Shoaib, who was to play for Knight Riders, would not be eligible to play in the Twenty20 tourney until the Pakistan board removes the ban imposed on him on disciplinary grounds.—Agencies