Chanderpaul

FORMER WEST Indies captain and middle-order stalwart Shivnarine Chanderpaul is among a list of 10 more international players who have signed to join the fledgling Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament.

According to the Indian cricket board, the new players on the roster include Chanderpaul, South Africa captain Graeme Smith and new New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori.

Four other South African players have joined along with Smith, including Herschelle Gibbs, A.B. de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and Albie Morkel. Also included are retired Australian opener Justin Langer, NZ all-rounder Scott Styris and veteran paceman Chaminda Vaas, the ninth Sri Lankan player in the IPL, with eight of his team-mates having signed earlier.

A pool of 22 players is now available for the various franchises to choose from, with the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Mohammad Yousuf and Stephen Fleming among them.

Akhtar awaits permission

Shoaib Akhtar, the Pakistan fast bowler, has also been approached and is awaiting permission from the Pakistan Cricket Board to sign the contract.

The IPL has been created to counter a rival Twenty20 league, the ICL, which has attracted a number of big names but has come under pressure after the India board refused to give it approval. The Indian board said last month its league would be played in April next year with US$3 million in prizemoney and with eight teams to be bought by franchisees.

Each franchise would have a playing squad of 16 comprising BCCI registered players drawn from a central pool of Indian players and designated players, who could be contracted players from the Indian national team or the overseas pool.

National boards also jointly announced a Champions Twenty20 league from next year offering US$5 million in prizemoney and featuring two finalists each from leagues in India, Australia, South Africa and England.