Ponting - Keep the cap

Ponting: Salary cap

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Australian captain Ricky Ponting has urged the Indian Premier League to maintain the tournament's salary cap.

Players were auctioned off prior to the start of the inaugural IPL competition, with teams limited to $5 million to spend on their squad.

There has been talk though of IPL chiefs removing the salary cap altogether for future tournaments, but Ponting has urged them to keep it in place.

Ponting, who played four games for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening rounds of the competition, says removing the cap would make the IPL much less competitive.

"I have certainly heard there may be no salary cap next year, but I'm not sure if that will be good for the IPL," Ponting told the Australian.

"The more I've thought about it, it might be detrimental to the whole set-up.

"We want good, competitive cricket with lots of international players playing good, close games against one another. If they go ahead with no salary cap, a lot of that might go out the window."

Ponting does think the IPL has been good for cricket, and says the ICC should work it into their Future Tours programme to avoid any confrontation.

"I really do think they can manage it well and have the IPL as something that is going to help the game, and not just be extra money coming in for the international players," Ponting said.

"What it has done already is attracted new audiences to the game and more audiences to the game. Overall it should make cricket a better thing."