KKR buy out Ponting’s IPL contract

Australian captain Ricky Ponting won't be playing in the IPL this year after his franchise,the Kolkata Knight Riders,bought out his contract.

Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting won’t be playing in the Indian Premier League this year after his franchise,the Kolkata Knight Riders,bought out his contract.

Ponting had been set to spend about four weeks on the subcontinent in April,but the Knight Riders opted to pay out the batsman. They bought Kiwi fast bowler Shane Bond at the auction in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Ponting played a handful of games for the franchise in the first IPL season in 2008,but he chose to sit out of last year’s Twenty20 tournament to spend time with his family in between international commitments.

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Ponting has revealed previously he encountered problems with his Kolkata captain Sourav Ganguly,the former India skipper,but his manager said on Tuesday the Knight Riders’ contract buy-out was based on player availability.

“The Knight Riders wanted international players who would be available for the entire tournament,but Ricky’s only available for five of 14 games,” Ponting’s manager James Henderson told AAP.