Vics face choice: money or stateMICHAEL GLEESON
December 4, 2009
SITTING comfortably on top of the Sheffield Shield table, Victoria would be expected to make the final. What manner of side it is able to field is another question, with Victoria and its players and coach facing a potential conflict involving the Indian Premier League.
The lucrative IPL has been brought forward this summer to accommodate the Twenty20 World Cup and thus created a clash with the last home-and-away round and final of the Sheffield Shield.
IPL chairman Lalit Modi has raised the prospect of banning players who play for their domestic teams instead of their IPL franchise.
He has also threatened that teams from countries that refuse to release players for the IPL could be barred from competing in the wealthy Champions League. NSW won the Champions League this year earning a fortune for the state and its players.
''The IPL will work with all the cricket boards to ensure that cricketers contracted with the eight franchises are available for the season,'' Modi told cricinfo.
''A worst-case scenario could mean penalties on such players including termination of contracts, jeopardising future participation.
''However, we do not want to walk that path and are hopeful that we can sort this through discussions with the boards.''
Bushrangers bowler Dirk Nannes was required to play for his IPL franchise instead of Victoria, while Victorian coach Greg Shipperd, who is also coach of Delhi, was allowed to coach the state in the recent tournament.
Victorian players David Hussey, Cameron White, Rob Quiney and Andrew McDonald all have IPL contracts.
Clint McKay and Peter Siddle would also likely be soughtafter by IPL teams at the next player auction in January.
Australian Cricketers Association chief Paul Marsh said players were in an invidious position where if they chose their state instead of their IPL franchise they could potentially be jeopardising all Australian teams' participation in the Champions League.
''The players have signed these contracts with Cricket Australia or the states, but the issue is will players in the future want to sign contracts with Cricket Australia and their states if this is what signing a contract means with the restrictions that are placed on them?
''From the perspective of the threat to the Champions League, the player in that situation his obligation is to [play for] Victoria, but is he going to put not only Victoria's but all the Australian teams' representation and participation in the Champion League at risk if he doesn't go and play for his IPL franchise? The other issue is that you have players who are in some cases earning a lot more money from playing IPL than what they are from their domestic contract.
''CA have sent a directive to each of the states to say no one should be releasing any players until after the end of the state season.
''It is a difficult issue and we are seeing more and more of these issues.''
Australian cricket operations manager Michael Brown said at the moment it was a hypothetical situation.
' ''We haven't even gone down the path of contemplating what we would do, how we would deal with it, because at this stage it is not an issue because no player has made application,'' Brown said.