Indian Premier League 2 : IPL 2 : IPL 2009

MUMBAI: Mumbai Indians’ captain Sachin Tendulkar is of the opinion that the $5 million cap that has been fixed on each of the eight IPL franchise teams for buying players can’t remain forever.

“I don’t know how that will work in all the years to come in the IPL. To be honest I have not heard of it (about Ricky Ponting’s view that cap should continue so that the T20 event remains competitive),” Tendulkar said.

Australian skipper Ponting has said that lifting the cap on players’ salaries was not advisable as it could lead to robbing the Twenty20 League of its competitive edge as franchises with money power would then be free to go on a players’ buying spree.

IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi has also said all talks of lifting the $5 million cap on the franchises to limit their players’ buying power for next year’s edition was “hypothetical”.

“All players have been bought (by the franchise owners) for three years. All the teams probably have eight foreign players. It’s hypothetical (to say) cap will be lifted. The cap is applicable for years two and three,” he said on Monday.

Reports that the cap may be raised by the IPL authorities has fuelled speculations that England batsman Kevin Pietersen would be signed up for an astronomical sum by one of the franchises.