Warne denies bust-up with Ponting over IPL participation

Spin legend Shane Warne today denied having a heated argument with his former captain Ricky Ponting over the Australian cricketers' participation in this year's Indian Premier League and said he had no apprehensions about playing in the Twenty20 extravaganza starting next month.

"There was no heated disagreement between me and Ricky," said Warne, who led the Jaipur-based Rajasthan Royals to a fairytale triumph in the first edition of the cash-awash league. "We're mates, we get along fine.

There were a lot of people asking (Australian Cricketers Association chief executive) Paul Marsh for clarity on some issues. I think that's healthy. Everyone's entitled to their own opinion," Warne was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'.

A report in 'The Australian', however, claimed that the cricketers were "at each other's throats" during a security briefing in Sydney yesterday. According to the daily, freelance former players like Warne, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist are all for playing in the IPL, while majority of the Cricket Australia-contracted players are little cagey about it.

"It is understood the past players, including Shane Warne, Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist clashed with Australia's captain Ricky Ponting during the meeting," the report claimed, quoting sources.

ACA chief executive Paul Marsh, however, was confident that the players would show solidarity till the issue is resolved. "That's something we are still working through, it's the way we have operated in the past and I guess we have a couple of weeks to work through that," Marsh said.

Warne, meanwhile, said that with the Indian government throwing its weight behind IPL's security contractor Nicholls Steyn, there should not be worry for the players. "I think the development overnight is that the Indian Government is going to get behind Nicholls Steyn, the IPL security people, (and) ramp up security for the players," he said.

"That will give the players comfort, and that was the main aim of the players' association. I think it's going to work pretty well," said Warne.