The Hindu : Sport : Deadline for Australians to join IPL

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Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
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Deadline for Australians to join IPL

Melbourne: Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi on Tuesday made it clear that no global protection for Cricket Australia’s sponsors would be given “under any circumstances” and set Sunday as the deadline for the players to sign their contracts.

Modi said Sunday was the deadline for IPL contracts to be signed and returned, so that players could be auctioned to the eight franchise teams next Wednesday, which means Australian cricketers would have to decide on either to defy their own Board, or face a three-year ban from the tournament.

“They are running out of time. I am not the type that won’t follow through with what I say: if the contracts are not signed and returned by Sunday the Australian players will not be allowed to take part in the IPL for three years. We are taking a list to owners on Monday,” Modi said.

“Each franchise has a $5 million cap for their team, and the contracts are for three years, so when they bid for players at the auction they will use up all of their cap — there will be no money to buy other players later,” he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning herald.

NOC not needed

Modi, however, said Australians players would be allowed to play in the tournament without No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from their Board, a stipulation that was required of every other international player.

“We will gladly take Australian players without NOCs, we don’t want to go down that path but if we will have to, we will,” he said.

The BCCI had earlier said that it would not accept players who did not have the permission of their respective Boards to participate in the Twenty20 tournament, to alleviate fears that some stars could quit international cricket to chase the big money on offer in the IPL. — PTI

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