NEW DELHI: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi believes that the chances of India and Pakistan playing a bilateral series will not be possible anytime in the future because of the political influence on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and opined that there would have been ‘some traction’ if the board hadn’t ‘pulled levers and made it political’.
Speaking to former England captain Michael Vaughan, Modi dismissed the idea that even a neutral venue could revive cricketing ties between the two nations and opined that the core issue lies in what he described as the increasing political influence over the PCB.
Modi reiterated that the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon, effectively ruling out the possibility of a bilateral series in the near future. "I fear that it may not be possible in the near future, primarily because of the politicisation by the Pakistan Cricket Board in Pakistan and unfortunately, that's the way it is, " he said on the Stick to Cricket podcast.
He argued that decisions are no longer being made independently within cricketing circles, complicating efforts to organise matches between the two sides. He also expressed concerns about player safety given the charged atmosphere surrounding India-Pakistan encounters.