Australian player to hire own bodyguard for IPL

At least one Australian player is looking to hire a private bodyguard to shadow him for the third edition of the Indian Premier League.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the cost of paying the bodyguard would come out of the player's own pocket, but the cost would be covered by his IPL fee.

Meanwhile, former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne has said the Indian government's backing of the plan devised by Nicholls Steyn and Associates, the company in charge of IPL security, would give players a huge boost in safety confidence.

IPL chairman Lalit Modi said the tournament would survive should international players withdraw due to safety fears.

''The heavens aren't going to fall if that happens. This is an Indian tournament; we have the key Indian players and only a few international players,'' Modi told the BBC.