Michael Clarke has confirmed he’s in talks to join IPL franchise the Pune Warriors.

Clarke has so far resisted the lure of playing in the rich competition but came close in 2009 before withdrawing from the IPL auction to focus on playing for Australia.

Pune captain Sourav Ganguly has stated publicly the Warriors were on the verge of snaring the Australian captain and on Sunday Clarke confirmed he was in talks.

“That opportunity has been presented to my management company and I,” Clarke said.

“Right now they’re discussing it. We will continue to talk about that and make a decision in due course.

“But my focus right now is to make sure I get back and play some good cricket for Australia.”

He didn’t nominate for this season’s auction, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has given the green light for Pune to sign players outside this method.

Clarke, who retired from T20 internationals in January last year, headed to the Caribbean on Sunday for Australia’s Test series with West Indies after overcoming a hamstring injury.

Australia’s tour of the West Indies means Clarke’s availability will be limited.

The fifth season of the IPL starts on April 5, while the Caribbean Test series is scheduled to end on April 27.

The Pune Warriors will have a total of seven matches left in the IPL’s regular season after April 27.