Sri Lanka T20 meet to have 2 Indians in each team
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali in New Delhi
THE recent tussle between the Indian and Sri Lankan cricket boards over the Lankan players availability for the Indian Premier League (IPL) is a thing of past.
In return for allowing Sri Lanka players for the IPL, the Indian board is set to let its players compete and earn a few dollars in the neighbouring countrys own version of the IPL. Not just that, a prominent former first- class Indian player will oversee the T20 tournament — the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL).
About 35 international players are expected to be seen in action in the tournament that begins on July 19, according Milind Rege, former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain and a tournament manager of the recent World Cup, who has been appointed as head of the competition.
“There will be seven teams and each one will have two Indian players in the XI. So, 16 to 20 Indian players would be seen in action in the Sri Lankan Twenty20 competition. But the selection of the Indian players will depend on who all are picked for the Test series in England that will take place at the same time,” Rege told Mail Today.
The four-Test series against England begins on July 21 and ends on August 22, dates that suit the SLPL perfectly. Since the lone India- England Twenty20 International and the five One-day Internationals will take place after the Tests, the shorter version specialists from India will be free to play in Sri Lanka.
Also, since Sri Lankas tour of England, Ireland and Scotland finishes on July 13, it will allow the top Sri Lankan players to be available for the league.
According to reports in the Sri Lankan media, Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan are among the players approached by the organisers. However, another prominent Indian player, who has been approached, said on Wednesday that the BCCI was yet to give the green signal.
“We are busy with the IPL now, so we’ll look into this after it finishes,” he told Mail Today. Those from other countries expected to play in the first edition of the SLPL include Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Herschelle Gibbs, Daniel Vettori, Dwayne Bravo, David Warner and Shaun Tait. The teams will be led by Tillakaratne Dilshan (Basnahira), Kumar Sangakkara (Kandurata), Mahela Jayawardane (Wayamba), Sanath Jayasuriya (Ruhuna), Chaminda Vaas (Uva), Afridi (Nagenahira) and Vettori (Uthuru).
“The important thing in SLPL is that the players are being selected by the Sri Lankan national selectors as this tournament is being organised by Sri Lanka Cricket ( SLC) and the International Cricket Council has approved it,” said Rege.
“There will be 24 matches in all, including the semi- finals and the final, and the starting time for two matches in a day will be 4 pm and 8 pm.” The matches will be held in Colombo.
Mumbai- based Rege said the name of the title sponsor would be announced either in Mumbai or in Colombo. “We are talking with two- three parties for that and the sponsors name will be announced later,” he said.
The organisers are also mum on how much money will be paid to the players. Singapore- based Somerset Entertainment Ventures Pte Ltd. (SEV) has won the commercial rights of the tournament and Rege said he is working with SEV and the SLC. “With political stability having returned to Sri Lanka after 30 years, the government intends to rebuild the country’s reputation as a world- class tourist destination.
Given the passion for cricket in the country, the SLC believes it can contribute significantly to this objective by extensively promoting the sport on an international scale,” said SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga.
“Since 80 per cent of our cricketers are from outside Colombo, this tournament will help us identify the next crop of talented cricketers.”
(This story first appeared in Mail Today, New Delhi, on May 5, 2011)
