Cricket Australia Left The Choice With Players to Play For IPL; Even Severe Threats From Indian Extremist Part Shiv Sena

The Shiv Sena party governs Mumbai and has vowed to stop Australian cricketers playing in the city until attacks on Indians in Australia stop.

The party has previously been accused of political assassinations and violence against opponents.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says Australia is taking the threat very seriously.

Cricket officials are also treating the threat seriously given recent attacks on sporting teams, including last week's attacks on the Togolese soccer team in Angola and last year's assassination attempts on the Sri Lankan team in Pakistan.

But even in this scenario; Cricket Australia will let its players decide whether to play in the coming Indian Premier League despite the latest security threat in the country towards Australians.

Up to 40 Australian players could take part in this year's IPL tournament, scheduled for March-April, including captain Ricky Ponting and other members of the Test side, plus retired greats Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden.

Cricket Australia (CA) said it would adopt a safety-first policy and draw on information from its own security advisers, the Australian government and IPL officials.

But because the players will not travel as an Australian team, CA will not conduct its own pre-tour security assessment.

CA spokesman Peter Young said ultimately the players would make their own decisions to play in the IPL.

"We'll be having a look at this particular issue given that IPL is only six, seven or eight weeks away and we'll be providing the expertise, the advice, that we get to players who are going there," Young said on Thursday.

"At the end of the day those players make their own decision about whether or not they go, but we want them to be able to make informed decisions and we'd like to work with the ACA (Australian Cricketers' Association) to ensure they can make informed decisions."

Victorian coach Greg Shipperd will be returning to India to take charge of the Delhi Daredevils franchise, but acknowledged security fears were an ever-present concern in the country.

The first IPL season, in 2008, was marred by bombings in Jaipur, the home of Warne's Rajasthan Royals, while the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 tournament was postponed because of the 2008 attacks on Mumbai.

One of Victoria's Champions League matches last year was delayed because of a threat, but Shipperd said he had faith in the security arrangements around the tournament and the eight sides.

"I'm quite comfortable that the security arrangements that are put in place for us have been satisfactory and will continue to be so," he said on Thursday.

"I know professional (security) groups are running that side of things. I understand that the cricket associations are also on top of those situations and wouldn't send us anywhere that wouldn't be safe. I'm confident I'll be there in March-April."

Australia's next cricket commitments in India are seven one-day internationals there in October.

Western Australia batsman Luke Ronchi is the only Australian player contracted to the Mumbai IPL franchise, but he declined to comment on his intentions on Thursday.

But Queensland allrounder James Hopes, a member of the Kings XI Punjab squad, said the threat of violence did not concern him.

"I've been to India a fair bit now and security has never really been a problem for us," Hopes said on Thursday.

"We get looked after pretty well and, touch wood, I'm hoping to go there for the whole IPL this year.

"I think when push comes to shove, the Indian people want to see good cricket and they want to see the best players playing out there."