Aussies near IPL go-ahead

Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, wants a maximum of six days to prepare his squad before it leaves for the West Indies, which would allow the players signed with the Indian Premier League (IPL) to spend two weeks at the tournament. Nielsen is not concerned about the country's contract holders, including Andrew Symonds, Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee, taking part in the Twenty20 competition as long as they return in good shape.
The six-week IPL event begins on April 18 and a camp is likely to be held in the first week of May before Australia travel to the West Indies for Test and one-day series. "We're still working through the process with Cricket Australia, but I would expect the guys would have time to play in India," Nielsen said in the Sunday Mail. "So long as the guys turn up okay and ready to go and Cricket Australia finalises any issues with the IPL I can't see a problem."
If the plan goes ahead the IPL-aligned players will be able to earn about a third of their prices from the auction in India last month. Symonds was bought for 1.35 million dollars while Brett Lee (900,000 dollars), Ricky Ponting (400,000 dollars), Matthew Hayden (375,000 dollars) and Michael Hussey (350,000 dollars) were also picked up.