ICC must create IPL window - Warne

Shane Warne, the Rajasthan Royals captain, has said the ICC has lacked common sense in not allocating a proper window in the international calendar for the IPL. Warne said a four-week tournament - as opposed to five in this year's edition - would make this possible, enabling all players to participate.

England and West Indies players will be available only for the first few weeks of the tournament in South Africa as they will be engaged in a short Test series starting early May. A few Australians too have international commitments shortly after the start of the tournament, in the UAE, for a limited-overs series against Pakistan.

"If the ICC had any common sense, they would create a window for the IPL," Warne told the Star, a South African daily. "No international cricket should be played in April. The IPL could then be cut to four weeks, which would allow all the international players to play in it. The IPL is a wonderful advertisement for the game.

"If there was any common sense, the BCCI and ICC would then compensate all the unions with some money for allowing their players to play in the IPL."

In February, the ICC reiterated that it wouldn't be possible to create a separate IPL window before 2012, as the Future Tours Programme was already in place. It was agreed that international commitments would take priority over the IPL and players would need a no-objection certificate from their board if they wanted to participate in the Twenty20 tournament.

Last season, no England players - with the exception of Dimitri Mascarenhas - managed to participate in the IPL as it clashed with the county season. However, a compromise was worked out with the ECB agreeing to let its players participate for three weeks this season.