Cricket latest: Pietersen to be tempted?

Despite claiming that the huge rewards on offer from the Indian Premier League are not tempting, Kevin Pietersen remains the 2/1 favourite to be the first centrally contracted England player to sign up for next month's tournament. Click here for a free £25 to bet on cricket with Blue Square Dmitri Mascherenas became the first England player to be signed up by the IPL when he was recruited by Jaipur for £50,000 and his example could be followed by several others as an agreement was reached with his county Hampshire for compensation. The IPL Twenty20 tournament - which starts on 19 April and ends on 1 June - is already estimated to have earned Indian cricket's governing body, the BCCI, $1bn (£497m) from selling franchises and broadcasting rights and they have pledged to attract the game's biggest players. The English game has so far not been very well represented due to the ECB's unwillingness to let their players get involved although many of the game's top players have already been signed, including Rahul Dravid, Adam Gilchrist and India's one-day skipper Mahendra Dhoni, who attracted the highest price in the opening bidding at the IPL's inaugural auction in February. Pietersen will want to ply his talents on the world stage in his belief that he is the world's best batsman and although he has stated that he will not be tempted he remains the favourite to be first centrally contracted England player to sign up. The new tournament, which begins next month, is said to be the hot topic of conversation in the England dressing room and PCA chief executive Sean Morris claims players should be given the chance. But with participation potentially threatening their England careers, speculation is growing as to who will be the first to break rank. Ryan Sidebottom and one day captain Paul Collingwood are the 3/1 second favourites, with Test skipper Michael Vaughan the 8/1 outsider on a list of likely defectors. A number of leading players and officials have voiced their worries on the effect it could have on world cricket. Each player's IPL contract is guaranteed for a three-year period by the BCCI and the biggest international stars will be able to earn huge amounts of money in a short space of time. Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who has signed to play in the IPL, said he fears it could entice top players to retire early. "If a guy is approaching the end of his career, being able to play 44 days I'm sure is very attractive," he said. "They have families and can get a bit sick and tired of the travel." Click here for a free £25 to bet on cricket with Blue Square