Ahmedabad: Actor and IPL team Rajasthan Royals celebrity co-owner Shilpa Shetty on Wednesday said the decision to select Pakistan players or not was never based on their nationality.
"The decision to take Pakistani players was based on the availability of the players. Here availability does not mean dates and time we are talking about whether they would be available in India throughout the IPL," Shetty said, adding her team Rajasthan Royals did not want to take that risk.
Shetty and Raj Kundra said the controversy over IPL has affected the spirit of the game.
"What is great about IPL is that when a wicket falls, we see a Pakistani and Indian player hug each other and see an Australian and South African do a hi-fi, I miss that. These controversies have take away the spirit of the game," Shetty said.
What's happening to SRK is unfortunate: Shilpa
Extending support to Shah Rukh Khan, it was unfortunate that the actor was being targeted for expressing his opinion.
Shiv Sena has threatened to stall the release of Khan's upcoming film 'My Name Is Khan' after he refused to apologise for his remarks favouring the inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL.
"It is everybody's right to express his opinion. It is a fundamental right. When a film gets affected, the entire industry gets affected. I stand by him as a human being," Shetty said when asked about her take on what was happening with Shah Rukh's film 'My name...' in Mumbai.
"My relationship with Shah Rukh goes beyond films. I have a lot of respect for him. I was introduced in films with him. It is really unfortunate that he has to face brunt of all this," Shetty who was here to launch new music video for the forthcoming IPL season, told media persons here.
"This issue has been already politicised a lot, I do not want add more fuel to the controversy," she added.
"The decision to take Pakistani players was based on the availability of the players. Here availability does not mean dates and time we are talking about whether they would be available in India throughout the IPL," Shetty said, adding her team Rajasthan Royals did not want to take that risk.
Shetty and Raj Kundra said the controversy over IPL has affected the spirit of the game.
What's happening to SRK is unfortunate: Shilpa
Advertisement
Shiv Sena has threatened to stall the release of Khan's upcoming film 'My Name Is Khan' after he refused to apologise for his remarks favouring the inclusion of Pakistani players in IPL.
Advertisement
"My relationship with Shah Rukh goes beyond films. I have a lot of respect for him. I was introduced in films with him. It is really unfortunate that he has to face brunt of all this," Shetty who was here to launch new music video for the forthcoming IPL season, told media persons here.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Shilpa Shetty Gives Us A Glimpse Of Her Sweet Indulgences At Cannes Dispute Between Karni Sena Factions Leads To Shootout In Jaipur Aaditya Thackeray Calls Mumbai Hit-And-Run Case "Murder", Demands Strict Action World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage Relationship Timeline Of Hardik Pandya, Wife Who "Parted Ways": 5 Facts 3 Passengers Die As Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derails In UP Delhi University Inviting Applications For Course In Pali/Tibetan Hegemonistic Ambitions: Tibet PM-In-Exile On China Renaming Places In India 7 Killed, 3 Injured As Taxi Falls Into Roadside Well In Maharashtra: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.