Sunday 27th July 2008
Arjuna wants SL to dump IPL for Tests
IPL 2009 might not feature Sri Lankan players, with Arjuna Ranatunga asking the players to prioritise the England series.
The islanders' tour of England was clashing with the next edition IPL and the SLC earlier said the players would have the chance to choose threir own livelihood.
However, the World Cup winning captain made a complete volte face to his earlier stance on IPL, making it clear that the board released the players for only the inaugural edition which concluded last month.
"I take it that the (Sri Lankan) players would be prepared to heed the call to perform for their country in preference to the IPL. At the most, the players concerned would miss a part of the IPL series on account of the tour of England," Ranatunga said in his letter to the top players.
Ranatunga had earlier remarked that the players could not be forced to tour England at the expense of IPL.
Ranatunga wrote "by permitting our national players to participate in the IPL, it is private individuals who earn a percentage of the players' earning while Sri Lanka cricket gets no financial benefits whatsoever."
Commenting on the players' unfavourable response to a letter by SLC Chief Executive Duleep Mendis late last year regarding the commitments of the national players, Ranatunga opined they should agree to tour England for the two Tests and three ODI series in April-May 2009.
The letter by Mendis written on October 1, 2007 had "specifically stated that Sri Lanka Cricket had no objection to the cricketers participating in the inaugural IPL Twenty20 in 2008 subject to they (them) being available for any commitments with Sri lanka Cricket at any given time," Ranatunga said in the letter.
"Hence the players have been released to play for the IPL for a period of one year," he said in the letter dated July 21, 2008.
Ranatunga said the tour of England would secure a payment of US $2 million for the SLC which would help the governing body improve its weakened financial position "and will go a long way in assisting the development of the game of cricket in this country."
Ranatunga said to accommodate a request from IPL, SLC agreed to cancel a proposed tour by India to Sri Lanka in 2009, suffering a loss of US$ 14 million.
"I write to inform you that I feel the contemplated tour to England in 2009 will be in the best interests of Sri Lanka Cricket. I hope you will also be able to see it as such, as well as an opportunity to earn much-needed funds for Sri Lanka Cricket and not as a let down but a call to peform
for your country," Ranatunga said in the letter.
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