"I have always maintained that sports and politics should not be mixed. India-Pakistan matches have produced some of the best cricket in the world and it is very unfortunate that we have been denied this due to non-sporting reasons," Akram told PTI ahead of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to India.
Sharif would be here to attend the swearing-n ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi tomorrow.
"I am sure that a lot of the Pakistan players would have added value to the teams if they were allowed to play. Also, there is massive interest in IPL in Pakistan which would have only been far more if the participation of players was allowed," said the bowling coach of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.
When asked about KKR's performance this year, which started with a series of losses before six wins on the trot, Akram said that new combination of players takes time to deliver.
"All the boys are getting along very well now and the results are showing," said the former fast bowler who has taken 414 and 502 wickets for Pakistan in 104 tests and 356 ODIs respectively.
He is also impressed with Gautam Gambhir's leadership skills and the way he bounced back to form.