Preparations for the CLT20 are in full flow for Pakistan's representatives despite uncertainties surrounding their visas.

by Shayan Siddiqui (10th September 2013)

The 5th edition of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament (CLT20) begins in India on the 17th of September and will involve twelve teams. Eight of these teams have received a direct entry into the group stage of the competition, while the remaining four will take part in a round-robin qualifying stage. These four are the Otago Volts from New Zealand, Sunrisers Hyderabad of the IPL, Kandurata Maroons from Sri Lanka and the Faisalabad Wolves from Pakistan.

Faisalabad Wolves qualified for the CLT20 by winning the 2013 Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup in March this year, defeating the defending champions Sialkot Stallions in the final to take the title for the second time. Misbah-Ul-Haq and Ehsan Adil were their star performers, finishing top of the most runs and most wickets charts respectively. Misbah won the captaincy battle against Shoaib Malik in the final, having defeated Mohammad Hafeez and the Lahore Lions in the semis earlier in the day.

With the CLT20 commencing in a week’s time, daily training for the tournament is in progress in Lahore, minus the members of the squad currently representing Pakistan in Zimbabwe. There are however concerns over their participation, as the organisers have recently stated that the teams can only participate with the explicit permission of the Indian government, and this may prove to be a stumbling block for the Pakistani side.

A PCB Spokesman has confirmed that as of last evening, the visas of the Wolves players have not been approved. He also stated that there were no plans to involve the Government of Pakistan to intercede in this matter. Meanwhile, the PCB and the CLT20 organisers continue to be in constant touch to work out the arrangements for participation of the Wolves’ in the tournament.

Whether the visas will be in place in time for the first game on 17th September is not clear at the moment, and given the recent tensions at the LOC, this may be a hurdle that cannot be overcome, which would be a real shame for the squad that earned the right to be part of this prestigious event.

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