IPL committee members and BCCI honchos Lalit Modi and IS Bindra announced this afternoon that in all likelihood, the Rawalpindi Express may eventually be forced to stay out of the IPL, having been slapped a five-year ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The development left Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s production company Red Chillies Entertainment a little worried, since the tearaway speedster, spearheading the bowling of the Kolkata Knight Riders, is expected to be a huge crowd-puller for the seven IPL matches to be played at the Eden Gardens.

However, it isn’t yet final if Akhtar is at all going to be debarred from playing in the IPL.

Meanwhile, there was some bad news for spectators for the IPL matches at the Eden, with the organisers now deciding to levy additional charges on ticket purchases.

It was announced this evening that about 9 percent service charge-cum- tax would be imposed on each ticket purchased, and the additional charge would go to the coffers of the franchisee. However, a decision has been taken to spare the 31,000 members of the CAB and all the 121 affiliated units of the new service charges.