PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt

LAHORE: Ijaz Butt, the chairman of PCB, has said no Pakistani team will participate in the Champions League Twenty20 this year.

“I have already spoken to Lalit Modi about this and there is no chance of any team from Pakistan playing in the Champions League this year,” Butt was quoted as saying by PTI. “After the way our players were treated [in the IPL auction] I don’t see our players or teams taking part in the Champions League this year.”

The Champions League features the best domestic Twenty20 teams from across the world. The first edition of the tournament was held in India last year. Pakistan was originally included as one of the participating countries, but they were omitted due to the political fallout of the Mumbai terror attacks. The venue for the 2010 tournament is yet to be announced.

Despite the exclusion, and the subsequent IPL cold-shoulder, Lalit Modi had expressed confidence that Pakistan would return to future editions of the leagues. Butt, however, said that this was still undecided.

“Our future participation in the IPL and Champions League remains undecided but this year atleast we are not taking part in either event.”