Cricket: NZ players welcome IPL move

Black Cap Jacob Oram had expressed concerns about travelling to India for the IPL. Photo / Getty Images

Ongoing security issues meant New Zealand cricket players welcomed last night's decision to stage the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition outside India, the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA) said today.

The Indian cricket board yesterday said it had been forced to move the tournament abroad because it was not in a position to guarantee adequate security.

The BCCI had failed to get government clearance for security cover despite revising the match dates three times because the tournament clashed with the general election, to be held between April 16 and May 13.

The IPL will be played on its original dates, between April 10 and May 24, and cricket authorities in South Africa and England have confirmed they have been asked to look into hosting the event.

NZCPA executive manager Heath Mills said the association had had security concerns for some time.

"We've had concerns for two or three months about travelling to India and the level of security that was going to be in place around the event," Mills said today.

He said the NZCPA had been working hard to try and engage the IPL to get player associations involved in the security check process.

"That was always going to be an issue and we were having difficulty engaging the IPL and the Indian board on those security issues. So to have it moved is a good thing."

Eight New Zealanders are involved in the IPL - Jesse Ryder, Kyle Mills, Ross Taylor, Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Stephen Fleming.

Mills said he had spoken briefly to a couple of players, most of whom were travelling to Napier for the second test against India beginning on Thursday.

"We were quite surprised to see the news late last night - we'd all anticipated that despite the concerns of the government and the elections taking place in India that they'd be strong on their view that they wanted it to stay there."

Mills said he was unsure whether the overseas tournament would attract the same levels of attendance and enthusiasm reached in India in its inaugural season last year.

"That's the million dollar question, quite literally. The IPL last year was a truly global international event - it was massive, and picked up internationally," he said.

"Whether they get the same size crowds as they did in India remains to be seen. I'd question whether they would, given the significant population there and their obsession with cricket.

"But who knows, we'll just have to wait and see. From our point of view, we certainly hope it's as successful as last year."

Security concerns had dominated the build-up to the lucrative eight-team event, involving many big-name international players, after an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in the Pakistani city of Lahore earlier this month.

India also remains tense after bomb blasts killed 166 people in the financial hub of Mumbai last November.

- NZPA