Ponting expresses concern over IPL

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on Friday expressed his concern over the cash-rich Indian Premier League's potential to sway some vital experience from the international cricket and advised that the Twenty20 competition be fitted into the ICC's Future Tours Programme.

"If a guy is approaching the end of his international career anyway, and being able to play 44 days and stay in one form of the game, I'm sure is very attractive," Ponting said.

"Particularly, if they have families and they are getting a bit sick and tired of the travel you do with international cricket, I am sure that is appealing to you," he said on the eve of Australia's one-dayer against Sri Lanka in Perth.

Ponting felt a proper schedule management to allow international players to participate in IPL might prevent their feared swaying from the international scene.

"There are some programming issues the ICC and the boards are going to have to look at, may be carving out a window each year when this tournament can sit in.

"Unless some time is given up then we might start losing the 33, 34-year-old players from international cricket," he said.

More than 80 international cricketers have signed over to BCCI hosted IPL so far.

Ponting's comments came a day after his vice-captain Adam Gilchrist rubbished concerns regarding a possible impact of IPL on the international cricket.