12:00pm Wednesday 24th February 2010
GRAHAM Napier’s involvement in the Indian Premier League is being threatened by security concerns.
Essex star Napier, from Colchester, is signed up for Mumbai Indians for the second successive year.
However, the tournament may be moved away from India and security experts are currently advising players on safety issues.
The all-rounder told his personal website www.grahamnapier.com: “I am still waiting on a security report to come through at the moment. Once I’ve digested that I will wait to see what the ECB recommends for its players.
Obviously I hope it will be possible to play in the IPL come March, as planned.”
The 30-year-old has already qualified for September’s Twenty20 Champions League after his success with Central Districts in New Zealand He can also reach the Champions League with Essex and Mumbai Indians, although a change in the dates of the competition means he may have a tricky decision to make, with the final two weeks of the county season clashing with the showcase event.
“As it stands, I am contracted to Essex, so that’s where I would play my cricket (if they needed me) unless they changed their position,” he said.
“Playing in the Champions League would be a great opportunity to play against the best domestic Twenty20 teams in the world so I hope the ECB and BCCI can come to a positive conclusion to allow the successful counties to compete, along with those English players who have qualified through other routes."
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