The IPL will give a transfer fee if a player qualifies from two teams in the Champs League T20 and wants to play for the IPL team.

By Ranabir Majumdar

This was confirmed by Lalit Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.

"The decision to play for a team is left completely to the player, in case he is part of two champion sides that features in the Champions League. We don't want the countries or the leagues or the teams to get into this," he told reporters on Thursday in New Delhi.

Referring to the case pertaining to Michael Hussey, who will have to make a choice between playing for Chennai Super Kings and Western Warriors, he said: "The IPL has decided to give USD 200,000 to his Australian domestic team in case he decides to turn out for the Super Kings in the Champions League.

"However, the same will not hold true for Morne Morkel, who was contracted for the Rajasthan Royals but did not play any match in the first season. He played for the Nashua Titans and will therefore, play for them in the Champions League."

An otherwise calm Modi looked miffed when asked about the clash of dates between next year's IPL and Sri Lanka's tour of England.

"The IPL schedule was decided for a period of three years after consultations with the ICC, all cricket boards and the franchisees. At that point it was ensured that the Future Tours Programme was not tampered with and all players, including the Lankan players had been given an NOC by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.

"The series they are playing against England next year is not part of the FTP and we are trying to sort out this matter. We are sure that everyone will come to a mutual agreement on this issue."

Modi, who is both the IPL and Champions League commissioner, also fielded questions about why the matches were being played in southern India.

"The decision to have the matches in Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai has been taken because of the dew factor in north India during the winters. We would have wanted to host the matches there, but it does get very cold and the matches will go in late into the night," he said.

Asked to clarify reports about the Rajasthan Royals going public, he said: "I know they are going public but I do not know when and I don't know whether they will under the present market scenario."

The BCCI vice president also clarified that there was no rift between the IPL and Pepsi and the two had parted ways mutually because of "conflict of interest" between the beverage company and the franchisees, who had been given the right to sell rights for a cold drink at their respective venues.