Warne's call for Ponting to be banned from IPL for conflict of interest

Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting’s relationship has endured its fair share of ups and downs.

It might be put to the test once again, after Warne said his former test teammate shouldn’t be allowed to coach in the Indian Premier League.

Coaches with links to the Indian national team have been forbidden to coach in the IPL by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Yet Ponting, who has just taken up a contract with the Australian team, has been permitted to coach in the T20 league.

Speaking to the Mumbai Mirror, Warne said it was ‘unfair’ that Ponting had been given the green light.

“Look, Virat Kohli is the captain of a team and Rohit Sharma is the captain of another side. They will have players from other countries who are bound for the World Cup. So that does not bother me,” Warne said.

“But on the first point, (and) this is not for me to say, but if the BCCI decides Ravi Shastri cannot be part of the IPL, then I don’t see how Ricky can be.”

In 2015, Indian national coach Shastri was forced to step down as an IPL board member after rule changes brought by the BCCI.

The change was effected to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

Chequered past

Warne and Ponting, arguably two of Australia’s best ever cricketers, haven’t always seen eye to eye.

The Spin King has thrown more than a few barbs Ponting’s way in recent years, memorably in his book ‘No Spin’.

There, Warne said Ponting’s decision to bowl first in the Second Test of the 2005 Ashes series in Birmingham was “the worst by a captain I’ve played under”.

He also accused Ponting of being “jealous” after the former Test batsman criticised fellow team captain Michael Clarke in his own autobiography.