'Indian govt has nothing to do with IPL auction'

As political parties in Pakistan reacted sharply to the treatment meted out to the country's cricketers in IPL auction, the government said it has nothing to do with the sporting-cum-commercial exercise.

Sports Minister M S Gill said that his Pakistani counterpart had spoken to him and "I explained to him my understanding of the situation".

"IPL is a not only a cricket league but it is also a commercial enterprise and the government of India and the Sports Ministry has nothing to do with them," Gill said.

Former test cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was critical of that the Pakistani cricketers were unsold in the auction.

"To not have such world class players on a world platform is doing injustice to the nation and I believe this is a bad advertisement for the IPL also," he said.