Thaindian News

Colombo, June 19 (IANS) The Sri Lankan cricket board is hurt after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prevented its players from participating in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

The BCCI said Saturday that the the Twenty20 league is run by a private body and not Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

SLC, however, refuted the charges, saying the league is owned by the Sri Lankan cricket board.

“This tournament is approved by SLC. And Somerset are the marketing arm, having won the rights through a tender process. Nobody can say it is owned by Somerset,” SLC’s secretary Nishantha Ranatunga was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

Somerset won the marketing and the logistics rights of the tournament. International Management (IMG) also does the similar thing for IPL, where teams are owned by private franchises. But in SLPL, SLC owns all the seven teams and will also decide which player will play for which team.

The BCCI had earlier said that it would allow its players to take part in the league, but its sudden vole-face has left SLC “surprised and hurt”.

Ranatunga said SLC will try to convince the BCCI.

“We need to explain the matter to the BCCI and whatever the concerns that they have, we need to give them an explanation. It is very important to have them (Indian players) as they add a lot of value and glamour to the tournament,” he said.

The tournament will be played July 19-Aug 4 at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Several overseas stars like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Shahid Afridi, Daniel Vettori, Kevin O’Brien and Herschelle Gibbs have already been signed for the event.