"We have received a request from the PCB to prepone the ban on Asif from September 23 to July 15, 2008. We cannot do so. The ban was imposed by the IPL Drug Tribunal comprising Sunil Gavaskar, Dr Ravi Bapat and Shirish Gupte," said IPL Chairman Lalit Modi at a media conference in Mumbai.

Modi explained that Asif had the option to go in for an appeal against the ban, imposed for one year by the IPL Tribunal for testing positive for banned drug Nandrolone in the first season of the League, but chose not to do so.

"I do not know why the ban was imposed for one year. He could have appealed against it and then the Appeals Tribunal would have looked into it. He did not do so. The ban stays from September 23, 2008," he said.

Modi said he presumed that the commencement of the ban was fixed from September 23 as Asif had asked for his 'B' sample too to be tested for the banned drug and it was done only in September.

Modi declared that IPL being a domestic tournament, its drug tribunal had all the powers to impose a ban for the first year.

Since then the IPL's Anti-Doping Code has been changed to conform to its parent Cricket Board's (BCCI) which, in turn, conforms to the International Cricket Council's code, he explained.

Asif, who played for Delhi Daredevils, had tested positive for banned substance Nandrolone during the inaugural edition of the cash-rich event.

The speedster, who has already been banned by the PCB, told the Tribunal in January that he unknowingly took the substance which was present in an eye drop that he was using for allergy.