Thaindian News

Melbourne, Feb 20(ANI): The third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is under siege, with the international players’ association warning that some members will not participate in the tournament as they are concerned about the Al-Qaida threat.

The Federation of International Cricketers Association chief Tim May warned that players were agitated by Ilyas Kashmiri’s threat against players participating in sporting events in India, including the IPL.

“There is an extremely high level of concern from a number of players from a number of countries about the IPL and security,” The Australian quoted May, as saying.

“I think you’ll find that some players are more risk averse than others and will probably stay at home,” he added.

Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) chief executive Paul Marsh said the mention of Al-Qaida had shaken his members.

“We still haven’t received the report yet and once we get that we will obviously know what the next steps are,” Marsh said.

“There is definitely a concern, not just with our players either. We are all working off the same consultants and the same reports but the fact that it is an Al-Qaida threat is certainly concerning many,” he added.

Meanwhile, Reg Dickason, a security consultant who specialises in cricket, is expected to submit a detailed report to the ACA on Sunday.

Dickason’s findings will go far to determining whether Australians involved in the IPL, which begins on March 12, will compete in the competition.

His report will conclude with an assessment as to whether player safety can be guaranteed during the tournament, but because the IPL falls outside the jurisdiction of Cricket Australia, it will be left to the individual players to decide whether or not they make the journey to India. (ANI)