Till May 18, Sri Lanka players will play IPL

After a meeting with sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to allow its cricketers to play in the IPL till May 18,. The board hadearlier asked the players to return on May 5 in order to prepare for the tour of England, which begins with a practice match against Middlesex on May 14. However, they have now issued a release saying the players have only to arrive in time for the second warm-up game, against England Lions, starting May 19. The first Test is on May 26.

However, he denied that Sri Lanka were succumbing to pressure from the BCCI. He said the initial decision to call the players back early was taken by the new selection panel headed by Duleep Mendis in order to give the players time to prepare for the series, and it was not intended to spark any controversy.

SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga stated that the selectors would pick an additional three to four players to make up the XI for the tour opener against Middlesex , as seven of the 16 players selected for the Test tour are involved in the IPL,.

SLC had originally given the Sri Lanka players till May 20 to play in the IPL, and following their change in the date, the BCCI had contacted Sri Lanka’s board asking them to reconsider. The decision had sparked mixed reactions among the Sri Lanka players, with Muttiah Muralitharan criticising it, while new captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said he did not mind it since playing for the country came before playing the IPL.

Lasith Malinga has not been slected for the Tests, since he had told the board he was injured, but he has been asked to return to Sri Lanka to undergo a rehabilitation programme .Sri Lanka’s players will now miss only the last week of the IPL..