By IANS
Melbourne : The confusion over Adam Gilchrist’s participation in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) continues with Australian cricket board denying that it had cleared the retiring hard-hitting batsman-stumper to play in the April tournament promoted by its Indian counterpart.
According to a report in The Age Sunday, while there was no suggestion that Cricket Australia (CA) would stop Gilchrist from playing in the Twenty20 competition, the left-hander, who retires from one-day cricket at the end of the Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series, has not yet been granted permission.
An unresolved dispute between CA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made Gilchrist’s case very complicated. The CA has been demanding global protection for its sponsors from the IPL while the BCCI has said it would go ahead without the Australians in the tournament starting April 18.
IPL chairman Lalit Modi’s remarks to hold the tournament even without the Aussies could hamper talks between the two boards in the coming week.
CA is determined that its players should not be beamed around the world wearing, for instance, uniforms displaying the Kingfisher beer logo because of the clash with rival Fosters, its own commercial partner. BCCI says global protection does not apply to a domestic tournament, which IPL effectively is.
The involvement of Australia’s in-demand players may appear crucial to the success of the IPL, in which both countries have much at stake. Modi has showed no signs of softening his stance.
“They will not get global sponsorship protection,” he said. “No sponsor of any national team will have any rights over the IPL under any circumstances.”
Modi’s claim surprised CA, and a spokesperson of the Australian board said: “We have not signed a no-objection certificate. Adam is contracted to Cricket Australia until the end of June, and if he decides he would like to play in the IPL, we will need to sit down and discuss that with a view to achieving a positive outcome.”
Gilchrist and other players like skipper Ricky Ponting and fast bowling spearhead Brett Lee would be in great demand when the player will be auctioned for the eight franchises later this month.
Lee expressed confidence that all parties would reach an agreement that allowed the Australians to take part, even if their involvement is restricted to promotional activity for the first two years because of global commitments.
“If the opportunity comes up, then great — the IPL poses a brilliant opportunity for Australian and other world cricketers to play Twenty20 and it offers fantastic opportunities (to play at) different venues, for different sides and clubs,” said Lee.
“They are confident we can come up with a plan that everyone will be happy with.”