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West Indies skipper Chris Gayle has added his voice to calls for the creation of an Indian Premier League window in the international cricket calendar.
Gayle, who is contracted to Kolkata Knight Riders in the franchise-based Twenty20 competition, is only available for the first two weeks of the 2009 event as West Indies are due in England at the start of May.
"I think it would be worth looking at a fixed window for the IPL in the calendar," Gayle wrote in a column for the Times of India.
"I say this because everyone should get a fair chance to play the full tournament.
"Everyone wants to play the tournament because it is a big event, so why not open a window for the tournament so that everyone gets a chance to succeed.
"This way also we can also ensure that teams don't lose their best players mid-way.
"We saw last season how some teams were affected when their players left.
Value for money
"A lot of investment has been pumped into this event by the franchises and they deserve to have their best players on the field."
Gayle, meanwhile, is looking forward to his time in South Africa, which is hosting the second edition of the IPL due to a date clash with general elections in India.
"After a couple of weeks, I will have to move to England," he added. "It's tough but that's our priority now.
"I want to lap up whatever time I have with the Knight Riders and try and do my best.
"If I can give them a good start, they can hopefully build on it to make it to the final four."
Gayle, who is contracted to Kolkata Knight Riders in the franchise-based Twenty20 competition, is only available for the first two weeks of the 2009 event as West Indies are due in England at the start of May.
"I think it would be worth looking at a fixed window for the IPL in the calendar," Gayle wrote in a column for the Times of India.
"I say this because everyone should get a fair chance to play the full tournament.
"Everyone wants to play the tournament because it is a big event, so why not open a window for the tournament so that everyone gets a chance to succeed.
"This way also we can also ensure that teams don't lose their best players mid-way.
"We saw last season how some teams were affected when their players left.
Value for money
"A lot of investment has been pumped into this event by the franchises and they deserve to have their best players on the field."
Gayle, meanwhile, is looking forward to his time in South Africa, which is hosting the second edition of the IPL due to a date clash with general elections in India.
"After a couple of weeks, I will have to move to England," he added. "It's tough but that's our priority now.
"I want to lap up whatever time I have with the Knight Riders and try and do my best.
"If I can give them a good start, they can hopefully build on it to make it to the final four."
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