Samit Patel eager for IPL chance

Samit Patel believes a stint in the IPL would be a benefit both to him and to England's prospects in the ICC World Twenty20, after Nottinghamshire cleared the England ODI allrounder to play in this year's tournament. The county said Patel would be available, subject to clearance from the ECB, to participate in the Twenty20 tournament till England's home ODI series against West Indies.

"I think it will happen," Patel told Sky Sports News. "We've had talks and it's all about opportunities. It's going to be good not only for English cricket but worldwide. The more English players go and play in the IPL the more they will learn about the shorter format of the game and I think it's a great opportunity to go and play against the best players in the world."

Nottinghamshire, in a release, said Patel's participation would be subject to a contractual agreement between them, the ECB and relevant parties in India. "If bought in the auction, Patel would miss the start of Nottinghamshire's domestic season and return to England in time for the ODI against West Indies on May 21," the release said. The IPL's second edition runs from April 10 to May 24.

However, while the county claimed Delhi Daredevils, the IPL franchise, have expressed an interest in Patel, a Delhi official denied any approach had been made.

According to IPL officials, Patel's availability for the player auction on February 6 would become official only after a team informs the tournament authorities about their interest in the player. The IPL will then move to sign Patel on a basic contract before putting him up for the auction, an IPL official said. "None of this has happened yet," he said.

"We haven't expressed any interest nor have we contacted Patel," Amrit Mathur, chief operating officer (COO) of GMR Sports, which runs the Delhi team, told Cricinfo. "We already have Daniel Vettori, who is a world-class spinner and is available for the entire season."

Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire's director of cricket, said he supports his player's desire to participate in the tournament. "It's an opportunity for Samit that we have to embrace because it gives him a chance to enhance and hone his one-day skills," he said. "We've got plans in place to make sure that we have adequate cover in all areas of the squad and he'll go to India with our blessing."

Patel, who made his England debut against Scotland in August 2008, has played 11 ODIs so far, scoring 116 runs at 23.20 and taking 11 wickets at 29. Patel, though, failed to impress during the recent ODI series in India, conceding 7.82 runs per over and averaging 60 for his three wickets. He fared a bit better with the bat, scoring 85 runs in four innings at a strike-rate over 90.

He remains, however, a central figure in England's build-up towards the ICC World Twenty20 in June, and the IPL could prove to be the perfect warm-up opportunity. "It's such a big event with the T20 World Cup in England so it will be good for England to learn about Indian conditions and playing against other players," he said. "Hopefully that will filter back to England and give us a lot more information for playing against Test-playing nations in the World Cup, but we just have to do what the ECB says."