India Tests platform for IPL: Harmison

London: England may be struggling in India but pacer Steve Harmison admitted the Test series gave them the perfect platform to impress the franchise owners for mega-buck deals to play in the Indian Premier League.

"It's like the X Factor. You come out here and if you do well you have a chance of playing in the IPL and I think everyone would be interested," he said.

"It is an exciting form of the game and the atmosphere for one-day games in India is tremendous so I can imagine it will be the same for Twenty20 and that is the sort of buzz you play the game for," said Harmison who sat out of the on-going second Test giving way for Stuart Broad.

The likes of captain Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff could attract big bucks in the IPL market for the second season in April-May next year though there has been issues regarding their availability for a full tournament.

Their decision to return for the Test series following the Mumbai terror attacks has also won them many admirers in India.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has said it has no objection to its cricketers playing in the IPL although the exact dates of their availability is still being thrashed out.

"It is still a way off but every chance you get to impress you want to take," Harmison was quoted as saying by Mirror newspaper.

The IPL franchises are now ready for players' auction on February 6 after the new rules for next year's tournament upped the number of international players allowed per squad from eight to 10.

The franchises will also have a fresh USD two million to bid for new players in the auction.

Pietersen, Flintoff cleared to play in IPL

LANCASHIRE'S Andrew Flintoff looks almost certain to play in the Indian Premier League this year after reports suggest England players have agreed a 15-day window with the ECB to take part in the lucrative tournament.

Freddie, along with England skipper Kevin Pietersen, could cash in to the tune of around £300,000 for just over two weeks' work.

It is understood the 15-day period agreed by the ECB and the Professional Cricketers' Association means Freddie would be back to play for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire in the County Championship starting on April 29 ahead of the first Test against the West Indies on May 6.

“We think this is realistic and sensible,” Sean Morris, the PCA chief executive, said. “There was some pressure to get back for a four-day game before the Test. The guys understand that and I think they are happy. I would say we are now 99 per cent there.”

Flintoff and Pietersen are bound to be top of the wanted list when the auction for those not figuring in last season's inaugural event is held on February 6, while the likes of Jimmy Anderson may also attract interest. The tournament itself starts on April 10 and runs until May 29.

The ECB have been reluctant to allow the centrally contracted players to join the IPL ahead of what is a hectic summer which includes a Test series against the West Indies, the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes.

However, England's top stars didn't want to again miss out on the riches available, having sat out last year's tournament, and their central contracts remain unsigned while talks took place between the players and the ECB.