Aussies a step closer to holding Twenty20 event

CRICKET Australia’s hopes of organising a domestic Twenty20 competition to rival the Indian Premier League have been given a major boost after the Board of Control for Cricket in India agreed to release their players for the mooted event.

Plans for an IPL-style tournament Down Under are only in their initial stages as CA look to tap into the money-making potential of Twenty20 cricket.

However, they have been handed an important first step in that process after Lalit Modi, who is the IPL chairman and vice-president of the BCCI, revealed India’s stars such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar will be available to play.