Mumbai, February 16 
In a U-turn, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray tonight withdrew his opposition to Australian players' participation in the third edition of Indian Premier League cricket competition starting next month.

“It has become a crime to speak in favour of national pride. Then why do we oppose Australia and IPL?” Thackeray said in a statement issued late this evening.

Defending his earlier stand to oppose Australian players' participation in IPL 3 as a protest against the attacks on Indians there, he said, “We opposed Australia for attacks on Indians in that country. However, Indian brothers living in Australia asked us to lift the ban as it would aggravate their problems." Thackeray's change of stand comes close on the heels of failure of his party's black flag protest against Rahul Gandhi's Mumbai visit and release of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer 'My Name is Khan' despite party's warning to theatres. — PTI