ISLAMABAD: Four Pakistani players have received clearance to get their visas to travel to neighbouring India to feature in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), the nation’s cricket chief said today.

“Our High Commissioner in New Delhi has confirmed that four Pakistani players — Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Misbah-ul Haq and Kamran Akmal — have got clearance to get visas,” said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt. But IPL official Lalit Modi had announced on Tuesday that players from across the border would miss the third edition of the IPL because they did not get their visas before a deadline.

The PCB said last week that Islamabad had granted permission to the players to take part in the third season of the IPL, but the delay in securing Indian visas created an obstacle. The IPL retained the contracts of Gul, Tanvir, Misbah and Kamran, while the contracts of seven others were terminated. Abdul Razzaq won a contract with Kolkata Knight Riders and can also get a visa clearance, officials said.