Gilchrist in the dark

Adam Gilchrist © Getty Images

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Retiring Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist admits he is just as confused as everyone else about the Twenty20 Indian Premier League as planning for the tournament gains momentum.

A sponsorship row has put Cricket Australia at loggerheads with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, leaving the participation of Australia's stars in the IPL - including Gilchrist - at risk.

The lucrative Twenty20 competition is scheduled to hold its player auction on February 20, when the eight franchises will bid for the cricketers.

"I'm like everyone else. It's changing every day almost so I'm just trying to keep up with it and then make decisions based on the facts we have at the time," Gilchrist said.

"I'll be watching with interest myself next week when it all comes to a bubbling point. We are all trying to keep up with it.

"This might be the beginning of a total change in the cricket structure as we know it. It may not, it might just be another tournament, but we've got to give it time."

Gilchrist dismissed suggestions that the commercial complexities of the IPL with Cricket Australia had the potential to damage the sport.

Gilchrist believes the IPL is just suffering teething problems as it gears up © Getty Images

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"I'm not sure anyone's trying to dud anyone else. Far from that, I think it's just teething problems," he said.

"It all came about very quickly and it's just going to continue to take time and maybe a trial-and-error process before we know exactly where the land will lie."

Meanwhile, Gilchrist believes the allure of international cricket will overcome the temptation to retire early in order to earn quick money in the IPL.

"I understand the fear of that happening but I really believe what motivates players to take on the journey to play for your country - it comes from more than just the financial side of it and the glitz and glamour," he said.

"It's a genuine passion and if you don't have it you are going to get found out. For guys who have done that and had a taste of it (international cricket), then will they get tempted? I don't think so. I think they'll have genuine desires to fulfil their career, to make sure they get every bit out of their international career as possible."

However, Gilchrist reckons the Twenty20 tournament could be an excellent transition into retirement for an ageing player.

"Since the real professional age has come in, maybe there's been a tendency for guys to hang on too long and we don't see younger guys getting in as young as they used to," he said.

"So it might be an evening-out process, now there's something for the older guys to move into. That Twenty20 format is just entertainment, I don't see that as a cricket career.

"It's part of a greater cricket career but that segment is entertainment now and I think everyone identifies that."