NEW DELHI: The face-off between India and Pakistan over the killing and beheading of an Indian soldier took its toll on the sporting ties between the two countries just days after the Pakistani cricket team played a bilateral series.

It was learnt on Tuesday that all the nine Pakistani hockey players, who have come here to play in the Hockey India League, will return home without playing a match in the tournament.

Later in the evening, sources told TOI that the Pakistan women’s cricket could pull out from the World Cup starting in Mumbai on January 25. However, PTI quoted a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official saying there was no decision on pulling out yet and that the International Cricket Committee (ICC) would take the final call.

Hockey India (HI) did not directly bar the Pakistani players from playing but put the onus on the franchises to release them while saying the released players would be given full contracted amount for this season.

Mumbai Magicians were the first to say that they would be releasing their four Pakistanis players. Sources said the other teams would soon follow suit.

The nine Pakistani players in the League – Fareed Ahmed, Imran Butt, Mahmood Rashid and Muhammad Tousiq (all Mumbai Magicians), Muhammad Rizwan Sr. and Muhammad Rizwan Jr. (Delhi Waveriders), Muhammad Irfan and Shafqat Rasool (Ranchi Rhinos) and Kashif Shah (Jaypee Punjab Warriors) – are expected to return home in a day or two.

“HI and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) today mutually decided that due to an extraordinary situation… and to not put any mental stress on any player/players which may affect his or their performance while playing for respective teams, both HI and PHF have mutually agreed and decided that all the franchisee be allowed to exercise their right for replacement in regard to the nine players from Pakistan from the reserve pool of players,” HI secretary general Narinder Batra said in a press release.

“The interest of athletes/players will be fully protected. The full contracted amount for the respective player from Pakistan for 2013 will be cleared in full and HI stands guarantee for this payment.

We have kept all the stake holders, i.e. the franchisees, Pakistan Hockey Federation and the International Hockey Federation in loop during these discussions… everyone is on board and approves of this decision,” Batra added.

It was learnt that the HIL officials made this decision after finally assessing the security concerns amidst continuing protests against the Pakistani players.

That the Pakistan players would be eventually sent back became apparent on the opening day of the tournament when both Delhi Waveriders and Jaypee Punjab Warriors did not field their Pakistan players.

HI’s decision came at the time the Mumbai Magicians were training at the National Stadium. After the training, their coach Ric Charlesworth could be seen having a long discussion with the Pakistani players.

“Keeping the public sentiment in mind, we have decided to send the players back to Pakistan. This is a decision we have taken on our own, we have not received any official communication from the league organisers,” Mumbai team owner Amit Burman told IANS.

Earlier, a team official expressed his displeasure over the way Hockey India has handled the issue relating to the Pakistani players. “They don’t want to take responsibility and have left it to us to handle it. This is not fair,” the official said.