New Delhi: West Indian captain Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the IPL after he failed to recover from a groin injury he sustained during the recent series against Sri Lanka.
Gayle, who was to play for Kolkata Knight Riders, was injured in the third ODI in St Lucia, limping off with a groin strain shortly after finishing his bowling stint. He missed the Knight Riders' first two games and has now been ruled out of the event.
Gayle was supposed to return to the Caribbean from India on May 18, in time for their series against Australia. He will be in Kolkata in the first week of May to spend some time with his team.
Meanwhile, in London, American billionaire Sir Allen Stanford is in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to create an English version of the IPL. According to The Times, the Texan banker has said he has discussed developing an English counterpart to the glitzy tournament on the sub-continent and claims to have a group of private investors waiting in the wings. Stanford said: "It's come up in discussions. The ECB are conservative. They are very carefully analysing it. I would look favourably on a proposal. I'm willing to be a big supporter."
The ECB said discussions between Stanford, the West Indian Cricket Board and the ECB had been "very productive", but refused to comment on the possibility of creating an EPL.
Soccer model
In Sydney, The Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), which is considering a competition similar to the IPL, says the concept could follow soccer's model.
"The Indian league will be the Premier League, and then you have the Australian league as the second league, or even the English league," said Paul Marsh, ACA chief executive.
"Players could go and play in one of these leagues and then you'll have a situation where the ICC could licence each league, get a return and distribute it to each of these boards."
