Michael Clarke not playing in 2009’s IPL

Images of Australian Vice-Captain Michael Clarke :

 

 

 

Michael Clarke Not Playing in 2009’s IPL and Unavailable for IPL Auction :As usual Michael Clarke again said no to 2009’s Indian Premier League. On Thursday (February 06, 2009) Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke announced his unavailability for the second edition of the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament, citing a busy international calendar for the national team. He also missed the inaugural edition of the lucrative tournament.

“I won’t be going to the IPL,” Clarke was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press on the eve of the auction in Goa. He also added “The lead up to the Twenty20 World Championships is the IPL so it’s good preparation… so it does not surprise me that a lot of players are going. (But) the most important thing for me is we’ve only got a couple of weeks off, we’ve got a very busy schedule. With me, with my body and time with my family, I want time off this year,”


“It’s a wonderful thing for cricket, it’s definitely improved Twenty20 cricket, it’s played a part in improving one-day cricket,” he added. Clarke had attracted a reserve price of whopping $1 million in the list of 43 foreign players nominated by the eight franchises for Friday’s auction.

IPL chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi said Clarke’s last-minute withdrawal was due to his fear of remaining unsold. “I don’t think anybody is ready to pay that kind of price,” Modi said. “The reality is in front of him. He didn’t want to be unsold in the auction and so decided to pull out,” an upset Modi told to a news channel.

He, however, said the IPL had this year waived off penalty for last moment pull out.