Maharashtra government will take the responsibility of all foreign cricket players' safety in case of any opposition to them, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil said on Saturday.

"Security of any foreign player is the responsibility of the State Government and security will be provided to them," assured Patil.

• Shiv Sena renews its attack on Pakistani players

He added that the game should not be mixed up with politics.

Patil criticised Shiv Sena, saying the party does not have any other issue to discuss and that is why they are opposing Pakistani cricket players playing in IPL matches.

The controversy over Pakistani cricket players began with a threat given by Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray who said "Pakistanis are enemies of the entire nation and we have been opposing their playing here for many years now."

• I have nothing to prove, says Shoaib

Kolkata Knight Riders [Images], owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan [Images] has prominent Pakistani players like Shoaib Akhtar [Images], Salman Butt [Images] and Umar Gul.

Over the last 20 years, the Sena has been opposing Pakistani teams and has indulged in tactics like digging wickets at Wankhede Stadium before an India-Pakistan match.