England Cricket Board faces player rebellion over IPL

The IPL bosses are possibly watching with amusement from the sidelines as England's players continue to put pressure on their board. Clearly, the players don't want to miss a chance of pocketing the big dollars on offer and are finding cricketing logic to make their case.

England's cricketers have had a torrid time in India for most of the tour so far but that hasn't dampened their enthusiasm for the country. Most of them want to return to India in April to play in the IPL and the league's bosses are keen on their presence.

"They have said that, we have said that. Now, it is for the ECB to decide," said Sundar Raman, CEO of the Indian Premier League.Not surprisingly the pressure on the ECB is being generated by those men who are likely to be worth megabucks if they become available.Kevin Pietersen is one, who has spoken openly of his desire to play the league and Andrew Flintoff has now given voice to that call, saying, "India's players played in the IPL and have brought that into the 50-over game. It's something I'd be keen to have a go at it on the Indian pitches, with the Indian players and international cricketers. It's possibly now an important development in a player's life."

There is also talk that England's players will hold off signing their central contracts if the ECB doesn't relent. Although, their public stand remains diplomatic."I think somewhere down the line, we want guys to play the IPL because Indian cricket has benefited hugely by being in and around all the great players and I think the English players being in that system could also get benefited by being around the great Indian, Australian, South African players," said former England skipper Michael Vaughan.

IPL bosses want England's players to be available for a substantial part of the seven-week long tournament. For that to happen, either England's domestic season will have to be pushed back or the players will have to rebel against their own board.