The Kashmir Premier League (KPL) has garnered a lot of limelight over the last couple of days. Former South Africa opener, Herschelle Gibbs came hard on the Board for Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for threatening him to not participate in the KPL on Twitter ignited the controversy. 

This followed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also releasing an official statement om which they expressed disappointment. The Indian board has already made its stance clear on the league.

BCCI has already warned the players and cricket boards from taking part in the T20 tournament. BCCI has also said that any former player featuring in the league will receive a ban over the cricketing activities in India.

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Talking about the same, the BCCI said, “While asking the boards not to allow their players to take part in the Kashmir league, we have informed them that in case they do, they can’t be part of any cricketing activity in India. We have done this keeping national interest in mind. We have no problems with those playing the Pakistan Super League (PSL) but this is a league in PoK. We are toeing our government’s line.”

The inaugural edition of the KPL will be commencing on August 6 with the Pakistan cricketers like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi among others set to take part. BCCI had also earlier objected to the tournament as it will be played in Muzaffarabad – the disputed land in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). With the KPL coming under the PCB’s jurisdiction, the board has the right to approve the tournament and not the ICC.

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KPL has the got approval from the PCB and the competition is expected to go ahead. While speaking to Geo TV, an ICC spokesperson said,  “The tournament is not under ICC’s jurisdiction as it is not an international cricket tournament.” Also, the cricketing body can only intervene if the matches are to take place in the associate member’s territory.