The New Nation - Internet Edition

BBC Online

England's top players will feature in the lucrative Indian Twenty20 series in the future, the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) believes.

Lalit Modi told BBC Sport he would be happy to move his season forward to accommodate England's big names, who would all be attractive to IPL teams.

This comes after English cricket boss Giles Clarke said no England player would want to go to the IPL.

"We are not interested in people playing in the IPL," Clarke said.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chairman added he would not change the domestic calendar to suit the Indian league.

"The IPL is a domestic competition and we're not going to alter our season for a domestic season in another country," he said.

The billion-dollar competition, which has attracted players from every leading cricket nation apart from England, runs from 18 April to 1 June, clashing with the English domestic and international seasons.

Any English cricketer wishing to compete in the IPL, or any other overseas league, requires the ECB's approval.

So far, Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, who has played one-day and Twenty20 cricket for England, is the only Englishman to sign up for the league.

But on Thursday, New Zealand allowed five players, including skipper Daniel Vettori, to miss the start of their tour of England so they can play in the IPL.

Modi believes England players are also keen on the IPL, and vice-versa.

"I know a lot of them are interested but we don't want to conflict with the English season," said Modi, who is also vice-president of the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"If that means we have to move our matches a few weeks in advance, we would be happy to do that to accommodate the English players.

"We would like to see a lot of the English players in the IPL but I cannot commit to them until the ECB actually finds a window and clears them."

But Clarke said none of the players centrally contracted to play for England, which includes top IPL targets Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, has shown any interest in Modi's millions.

"We're not getting any pressure from anyone to play in the IPL," he said.

"I don't think the rewards being talked about are particularly ones England players would be interested in.

"Should any player give up his English contract - which is not an insignificant amount of money, let alone all the extra methods of earning money that go along with that - he would, of course, risk losing his England place.

"We play international cricket during the time the IPL is on and most players don't want to lose their international place.

"If you are a quick bowler or a batsman I don't think you would want to risk somebody else coming in."