Former Australia Captain, Ricky Ponting, has once again called for the Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held at a different period of time.
Ponting, who played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the first edition of the IPL, also highlighted the fact that many players would rather play in the tournament than for their country, due to the financial benefits to be gained.
The former Captain, however, expressed his understanding that the situation surrounding players playing in the IPL, instead of their national team, would continue if the financial incentives remained extremely lucrative.
Speaking exclusively to the Australian Associated Press, Ponting, said: “You can understand the players that are opting out of international cricket to go and play IPL.”
Ponting, noted that New Zealand were a smart example when it came to the IPL, stating that they scheduled no series during the period of time because they know that most of their squad members would be lost to the Twenty20 tournament.
“New Zealand’s a good case study there, they just don’t schedule any international cricket when the IPL’s on for the simple reason they would have lost most of their players to IPL and been left with next to nothing. I think there’s something to be learned there,” he said.
With Australia’s upcoming Test series against the West Indies, Ponting, also noted that he felt extremely disappointed that West Indian batsman, Chris Gayle, would be representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, than the West Indies squad.
“A West Indies side without Chris Gayle in it will struggle but that’s the modern game and it’ll probably happen more and more with the amount of money that’s being spent in those Twenty20 competitions around the world,” he said.
The West Indies will possibly also be without their young spinning talent, Sunil Narine, who is expected to accept a $700,000 deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders.
When asked about current Australian Captain, Michael Clarke’s choice to play in the IPL, Ponting, said that Clarke knew what he was doing and that he would have given it a long thought before signing an agreement with the Pune Warriors.
Clarke, will replace Yuvraj Singh on the Pune roster, since he is recovering from being treated for a tumour in his lung.
“I’m sure he would have weighed up everything before he’d even have considered playing in the IPL. It’s a personal decision for him, doesn’t really matter what everyone else thinks about it. He’s just got to work out what’s best for him and his body as far as his cricket is concerned over the next few years,” Ponting said.