Cricket Australia's limited-overs players "will be sacrificing millions in potential earnings after the governing body flexed its muscle over player availability" for the lucrative Indian Premier League in the lead up to next year's World Cup defense, according to Andrew Wu of THE AGE. Players like Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch could miss over a third of the Twenty20 tournament, including the finals, if picked in Australia's World Cup squad "to comply with CA's conditions released Thursday." The timing of the announcement has "caused consternation among playing quarters with some unhappy it was made on deadline day for IPL franchises to retain players." They feel it was "designed to make it more difficult for Australians to stay on a list or to be picked up," thereby minimizing disruption to CA’s World Cup plans. The governing body will not stand in the way of players participating, even if it prevents them from resting during a busy '19 int'l schedule, but CA "made it clear to them they are expected to put country before franchise when commitments clash." The players' union, which is working with CA to foster an improved relationship, has given its "qualified support" but said that it "did not want restrictions in future years." There are concerns players' "pick-ability" will be adversely affected by their absence at the start and finish of the competition. Players are paid pro rata on matches played, so players like Chris Lynn and Glenn Maxwell, with IPL contracts worth in excess of A$1.75M ($1.3M), will be "sacrificing as much as" A$500,000 ($364,120) each if picked (THE AGE, 11/15).
