IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has invited Pakistani Fast Bowler Shoaib Akhtar to join the Twenty20 tournament. Pakistani appeal tribunal suspended the five-year ban on Shoaib for one month. Farrukh Aftab, chief of the PCB tribunal said that the ban has been lifted for one month and will be effective from June 4.

The next hearing will take place on 3rd June and the ban has been lifted till the next hearing. Mr. Modi said that they will be delighted to see him playing in Indian Premier League. The first Twenty20 IPL tournament will finish on June 1, 2008.

It has been reported that Shoaib Akhtar has been signed for $0.45 million by IPL’s Kolkata franchise. Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders offered him a handsome package to play for their team. But as Shoaib was banned from international cricket by PCB due on disciplinary grounds, he was unable to join IPL’s Twenty20.

It will be quite interesting for cricket fans to see Rawalpindi Express in IPL. IPL matches have received a great response from viewers and managed to grab much higher TRP ratings than expected by media experts.

Some More Shoaib Akhtar party photos. (photo credits gupshup.org)