Ramprakash turns down IPL offer

Mark Ramprakash has turned down an offer to join the Indian Premier League, according to a report in The Times.

Ramprakash, whose contract with Surrey expires at the end of the 2009 season, was approached by the Rajasthan Royals to plug a two-week gap left by the late arrival of Graeme Smith but the move was rejected after consultation with county officials.

"There are bound to be other approaches and not just to Mark," Paul Sheldon, Surrey's chief executive, told the newspaper. "We are looking at the possibility of 12-month contracts but we don't want to prevent any of our players from extending their earnings out of season provided that offers come from officially sanctioned leagues and the dates do not conflict with commitments to Surrey.

"We have to be open-minded. We are hoping that the IPL might take place in future in March or October, in which case the opportunities would obviously increase."