A Hockey India offcial said that after discussions with all the franchises and the Pakistan Hockey Federation, the consensus was that it was best if the Pakistani players returned to Pakistan.

The Pakistani players participating in the Hockey India League will most likely be sent back after protests continued over their participation after the incident along the Line of Control on 8 January that claimed the lives of two Indian soldiers.

Narendra Batra, a Hockey India official, said that after discussions with all the franchises and the Pakistan Hockey Federation, the consensus was that it was best if the Pakistani players returned to Pakistan, but that the final decision would be made by individual franchises. Returning to Pakistan would also spare the players the mental stress of competing under such strenuous circumstances, Batra said.

"All the stakeholders have been in the loop and after arriving at a consensus, I am coming before you to give this statement," Batra said.

The franchises will be allowed to buy new players from the reserve pool to replace the departing players, within their allocated budget. The Paksitani players will also get their full contractual amount, according to Batra, who said HI would stand guarantee for those payments.

So far no Pakistani players have got an game in the Hockey India League and a practice session by the Mumbai Magicians team in their home ground was disrupted by protests by the Shiv Sena. The Mumbai team was subsequently relocated to Delhi and could be located there for the duration of the tournament.

A Hockey India representative was also meeting with a senior police official in order to discuss security arrrangements for potential future matches involving teams that had Pakistani players.

Yesterday's opening game between Delhi Waveriders and Punjab Warriors was also marred by protesters invading the pitch to protest the presence of Pakistani players. However, the game wasn't disrupted and the protesters were thrown off the pitch.

The Womens World Cup could also be jeopardised by the protests given that all the matches of the tournament are scheduled to take place in Mumbai, including those in which the Pakistani team is participating.

The BCCI could recommend shifting the matches in which the Pakistani team is participating to alternate venues in order to ensure their security.

An unnamed senior BCCI official told PTI, "We have decided to write to the ICC to explain the situation here. After that, they will take a call on whether to change the venue or persist with it,"