Top players to miss IPL II in South Africa

The second edition of the Indian Premier League, which is being played in South Africa, will not see many of crickets top stars in action.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting and middle order batsman Michael Hussey have opted out to rest their tired limbs after a backbreaking schedule.

Having played non-stop cricket since September, both players have preferred to take a breather before a tour of England which features the World Twenty20 championships in June followed by the Ashes.

Ponting was sold for 400 000 dollars to the Kolkata Knight Riders at last year’s auction. Hussey, a prolific left-hander, was also picked up cheap by the Chennai Super Kings at 350 000 dollars.

Two other Australians, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, did not even put themselves up for auction, saying they wanted to concentrate on their international careers.

Expensive players are not guaranteed their entire riches as the England duo of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff have found out. Both went for record sums of 1.55 million dollars each at this year’s auction, but England’s home series against the West Indies in May has shortened their IPL participation to the first two weeks.
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