Ponting may miss IPL II

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Posted by Snehsan

KOLKATA: With the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to begin on April 10, Team Kolkata management is working overtime on the possible permutations and combinations regarding their foreign recruitments and their availability depending on ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP). The bone of contention for Shahrukh Khan's men is the availability of Ricky Ponting and David Hussey who are unlikely to arrive before the second week of May. The tentative date for the final of IPL II is May 24. If Australia's next two assignments - tour of South Africa and the ODI series against Pakistan - are any indicator, the duo may be available at the most for five matches (three league matches and semifinal and final provided Team Kolkata qualify). Australia finish their tour of South Africa on April 17 and head for Dubai where they finish their five-match series tentatively by May 10.