LAHORE, Feb 2: The government’s decision of not allowing the players to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will also be applicable in the case of Pakistan players associated with the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL), a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said on Monday.

“While the government has advised the PCB not to send any player to India to feature in the IPL, I think the same order will also apply for the players who have their contract with another Indian league – the ICL,” PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Saleem Altaf told reporters here on Monday.

The Federal Sports Ministry had allowed Pakistan players to participate in the IPL, to be held in April. However, the situation changed entirely when the Foreign Ministry cancelled the permission.

“The PCB is bound to follow the government’s instructions. Therefore, the decision has been conveyed to IPL commissioner Lalit Modi,” Saleem said.

All this has happened in the wake of strained political relations between Pakistan and India after the Nov 26 Mumbai incident. As India refused to tour Pakistan in January-February, an identical response from Pakistan was somehow expected.

But the Sports Ministry had shown lenient attitude, allowing the players to play in the IPL, recognised by the ICC.

However, the international body does not recognise the ICL since it’s a breakaway league running without the India’s cricket authorities’ approval.

The ICC has banned all the players who are affiliated with the ICL as they were not allowed to play in the national domestic cricket as well as international cricket.

In fact, it was a day of mixed fortunes for the players affiliated with the ICL. In the morning they heard good news that the Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered the PCB to remove the ban on the ICL players and allow them to play domestic cricket. But later in the afternoon, the Foreign Ministry’s decision again put a question mark on their future with the ICL.

As the SHC has summoned the PCB on Feb 10 for further hearing, the ICL players have a chance to play the next round of the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy starting from Feb 7.

A day before, on Sunday, the ICC decided to continue its policy of not allowing any player, coach and official to feature in any tournament not approved.

There were speculations that the ICC could remove the ban from the players [affiliated with the ICL] at its meeting in Perth, Australia on Saturday and Sunday. But soon after the ICC decision, the ICL players moved the court and got a stay-order against the ban.

Asked will a considerable number of cricketers not be deprived of attractive money with this [Foreign Ministry] decision of stopping them from playing for the two leagues, besides possible legal complications as the players had signed the contract with the leagues, Saleem said it was a national policy therefore, he could not comment on it.

Meanwhile, to a question about the new hosts for the Champions Trophy, in place of Pakistan, Saleem said it was early to say Sri Lanka would be the alternative venue for the Champions Trophy.

“It may be Dubai, Malaysia or any other place. Furthermore, though the PCB will get some specific money as original hosts of the Champions Trophy, it will have no link with the organising matters,” the official explained.

Pakistan were to host the prestigious event in September last year, but the ICC deferred it for October 2009 as Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies were not ready to visit Pakistan due to their security concerns.