London (PTI): Injury-prone England all rounder Andrew Flintoff on Saturday justified his decision to play the IPL instead of preserving himself for Ashes, saying it was crucial for him to improve Twenty20 skills ahead of the World Cup at home.

"I missed a lot of cricket through injury. I missed four weeks this winter, so the more cricket I can play now, the better for me," Flintoff said.

"Also I think that people are losing sight of the importance of the (Twenty20) World Cup in England. The importance not just for myself, but people like Dimi Mascarenhas, KP (Kevin Pietersen) and Ravi Bopara developing the skills in this form of the game because it's just getting bigger and better," he was quoted as saying by the 'Guardian' today.

The 31-year-old, who is the most expensive player alongside compatriot Kevin Pietersen at USD 1.55 million in the IPL, will play for the Chennai super Kings, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.