No threat to Oz cricketers, promises Sena

Mumbai: A day after Union Minister Sharad Pawar and BCCI President Shashank Manohar met Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in his residence here, the crisis over IPL seems to be over.

For the last week, it's been Shiv Sena versus Shah Rukh Khan over the actor's comment that he would have liked Pakistani players in the IPL.

But when it came to the crunch, it was not SRK but Pawar who made his way to the Thackeray residence to buy peace.

Pawar along with Manohar, pleaded with the Sena leader not to disrupt the IPL matches and not to target Australian players in particular.

"We requested him to allow Australia players to play and not to oppose them to which he said he would be considerate," said Manohar.

However, officially the Sena was putting up a brave front that they hadn't made another U-turn.

But CNN IBN has learnt that the Sena supremo has agreed not to ask his supporters to protest during the IPL. The two-hour meeting was enough for Thackeray's ego to be mollified.

Many would ask why should the BCCI chief and Pawar have to go to Thackeray's house to seek his support for IPL? And in spite of elaborate security promised by the Home Ministry, why did the BCCI bend before Thackerays?

Indeed, while the visit of a BCCI delegation will only give the Thackerays an opportunity to retain their larger than life image, it's Mr Pawar, as a senior minister in the UPA government, who may have to answer some uncomfortable questions.