PCA asks ECB to soften stance on IPL

Headley fears ECB's rigid approach that no England players should be involved in the IPL could have a negative impact.

The Professional Cricketers' Association has warned the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to soften its stance on million-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) or else they may have to face a "catastrophic" situation in terms of losing players.

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"If the ECB ignores these opportunities for players, it could have catastrophic results in terms of losing a star player or several star players," Dean Headley, former England fast bowler and ambassador for the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), was quoted as saying in the Sunday Telegraph.

Headley fears ECB's rigid approach that no England players should be involved in the IPL could have a negative impact.

"Even if we do not see an exodus we might have a lot of disgruntled England players and that is not healthy. Where would that leave our game? It might only take a few brave players to start the ball rolling. We need all parties concerned to come together and reach an agreement," he said.

Headley's comments follow those of PCA chief executive Sean Morris, who said Thursday that the ECB should be careful not to alienate their top players by restricting opportunities to earn a fortune.