ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has welcomed the BCCI's decision to include Pakistan's T20 champions Sialkot in the Champions League T20.
The BCCI, during its working committee meeting last week, cleared the decks for the inclusion of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 champions in this year's CLT20 for the first time since the event's inception.
"Sialkot will play here in CLT20 in October. It is a very good step from BCCI. Now PCB too need to take a step forward and join hands with India," Indian website indiansportsnews.com. quoted Azhar Mahmood, as saying.
"Both countries should join hands and put in a combined effort to revive bilateral series," he added.
Since joining Punjab in the middle of the ongoing IPL tournament, Mahmood has played a key role in turning the fortunes of the Punjab outfit, who are currently in seventh spot in the standings with 14 points from 13 games but are very much in with a chance of advancing to the play-offs.
"Definitely we can go to semi-finals. We are playing good cricket. We have 14 points now and two more wins will see us through to the play-offs," he said.
A tough battle awaits Kings XI Punjab in their next match as they take on table toppers Delhi Daredevils at the Feroze Shah Kotla ground on Tuesday.
But Mahmood said his side had enough firepower to upstage Delhi in their own backyard. "No doubt Virender Sehwag and David Warner are two of the best players in ODIs and Twenty20 cricket. But if they are in form, we also are in form," he remarked.
