Wellington, Feb 23 (IANS) There is concern about New Zealand cricketers "travelling to India" to participate in next month's Indian Premier League (IPL), a players association has said.

Players Association chief Heath Mills said that after reviewing an independent security report, he believed India was a long way from guaranteeing player safety, New Zealand Herald reported Tuesday.

"We have communicated that to our players and our players are all up to speed with the content of that report. Together with us, they remain concerned about travelling to India," Mills was quoted as saying.

Shane Bond, who was to earn $1 million from his contract, said: "You have to listen to what everybody says. So because it is still a month, things can change. I'll only make a decision closer to the time that I'm due to go."

Global terror network Al Qaeda's Pakistan arm has warned of attacks in India, particularly targeting upcoming international sports events like the Commonwealth Games, the Hockey World Cup and the IPL cricket tournament.

Asia Times Online said it had received a message from Illyas Kashmiri, who heads the 313 Brigade, an operational arm of the Al Qaeda in Pakistan. The message received two days after the Pune bombing which killed 13 people, warns international players against participating in the mega sports events in India.