Mumbai (PTI): Indian Premier League Chairman Lalit Modi on Friday said Shoaib Akhtar will be allowed to play in the cash-rich Twenty20 tournament if the Pakistan Apellate Tribunal clears him of charges.

"As of now his contract is still valid and has not been cancelled. He is still contracted to the IPL and through it to the Kolkata Knight Riders," Modi told reporters here.

Modi, however, made it clear that Akhtar will be allowed to play only if the matter of ban is heard and he is cleared of all the charges by the tribunal.

"This is not an arbitary decision but a collective one by the IPL Governing Council. The decision was taken abiding by the operational rules of the IPL," he said.

As per the rules of the BCCI, any player who had been suspended by any other cricket board would not be allowed to play in the Board-promoted league, he said.

Modi also said Shahrukh Khan - owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders, has asked him to treat the matter as a special case.

The 32-year-old speedster, banned for five years by the Pakistani Cricket Board on disciplinary grounds, will not be allowed to play in the first IPL starting on April 18, BCCI officials had said yesterday.

"We cannot have the siutation where a player banned for any reason is harboured by the IPL," Modi said.

"Currently his contract stands since he is in the appeal process... We hope it will be resolved at the earliest. His contract is not being cancelled at present," he said.