Asif may attend IPL hearing when in Delhi

Pakistan's suspended pace bowler, Mohammad Asif is due to leave for New Delhi on Thursday, on what he terms as a visit to resolve the issue of outstanding payments with his Indian Premier League side Delhi Daredevils.

But sources close to the bowler said that Asif could also end up attending a hearing of the IPL drugs inquiry tribunal in the Indian capital over his failed dope tests during the inaugural IPL last year.

"Although the IPL tribunal is due to meet on January 24 in Mumbai, but given the fact that Asif will have to apply for a new visa to travel to Mumbai, he could well be going to Delhi to attend a hearing," a source said.

Asif presently had a valid visa for the Indian capital but would need to get a new one for Mumbai, which, under the new rules would take almost a month.

Asif, who is already suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board, is keen to get the hearing over with and waiting for a decision from the tribunal. The cricketer is also going through financial crisis as the PCB has not paid him anything for the last six months.

The sources also confirmed that the Delhi Daredevils had held up USD 200,000 after the results of the dope test on Asif that was conducted in July last year.

"Since he could now face a ban (by IPL) for failing the dope test, the situation has changed now," the source said.

The cricket board has also slapped a bill of Rs 6.3 million on the pacer for the legal supports provided to him during the  19-day ordeal in Dubai in June.