Sydney, Mar. 21 : Sidelined Australian cricket stars are eyeing the second edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to make a bid to return to the national squad for the 20-20 World Cup or the Ashes.

Players such as Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh are looking forward to the cricket extravaganza as they see it as a proper opportunity to send out a message to the selectors, The Australian reports.

The IPL is scheduled to start from April 10, and the Twenty-20 World Cup in England in June, followed by the Ashes in July and August.

However, with the dates of the general elections clashing with the IPL, the Indian Government has raised issues over the security cover provided to the players during the event, thus putting a question mark on the scheduled start of the event.

Lee is fighting for his place in the Test side after a series of dismal performances in seven Tests last summer, while Symonds seems to have lost all his sheen after averaging just 15 in eight Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland this season.

Watson, who was named man of the tournament in the IPL's first season, and Shaun Marsh, whose brilliant performances for the Kings Punjab XI helped him earn a spot in the Aussie one-day squad are also eagerly waiting for the event, as they see it as a great opportunity to prove their worth.

But with the Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram saying: "I cannot spare any central paramilitary forces for the IPL," the league's fate hangs in balance and so do the dreams of Australian cricketers wanting to cement their place in the national squad. (ANI)