Ponting calls for separate window for IPL

Sydney, April 3 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has once again highlighted the need for a separate window for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Ponting, who played in the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008 for the Kolkata Knight Riders, said that he understood the players point of view as well with many cricketers choosing to neglect their national duties to play in the cash-rich Twenty20 competition.

The Australian felt that scenario was unavoidable with players earning far more in T20 competitions than they would playing for their countries.

"You can understand the players that are opting out of international cricket to go and play IPL," he told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

"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.

Ponting lamented the fact that explosive batsman Chris Gayle would be once again missing from the West Indies squad as he would be representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

Young spinner Sunil Narine also looks set to be unavailable for the upcoming Test series against Australia as he is expected to choose a $700,000 IPL deal with the Kolkata Knight Riders over the Tests.

"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 competitons around the world," he said.

Ponting, who was dropped from the ODI and T20 squads, is back in the Tests setup, said that it was Michael Clarke's decision to play in the IPL and that the current Australian captain would have given it ample thought.

Clarke was signed by the Pune Warriors in their bid to replace Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering after his treatment of a malignant tumour.

"I'm sure he would have weighed up everything before he'd even have considered playing in the IPL," he said.

"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."