Lankan officials to meet BCCI to solve SLPL issue

COLOMBO: Sports Minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage has asked Sri Lankan Cricket officials to meet BCCI bosses to convince them in Indian players' participation in the Sri Lankan Premier League next month.Aluthgamage has asked the SLC chairman DS de Silva and secretary Nishantha Ranatunga to travel to India and sort out the issue at the earliest with the BCCI officials.Following this, a meeting has beenarranged on Wednesday to discuss the BCCI's objections to the Sri Lankantournament, according to a sports website."I have instructed thechairman and the secretary to rush to India and convince the Indian boardofficials to allow their players to play in our tournament," Aluthgamage wasquoted as saying by 'Daily Mirror'."The chairman will be directlyarriving from London, where he has been with the Sri Lanka team, and Ranatungawill join him from Sri Lanka," he added.Aluthgamage is confidentthat a solution could be worked out by the two Boards."We have goodrapport with Indian Board and I am sure the issue will be sorted out amicably.The first edition of this tournament will go ahead as scheduled (July 19 toAugust 4, 2011)," said the minister.He also clarified that formerIndian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi has nothing to do with theSLPL."I can say with 100 per cent assertion there is no role ofLalit Modi in SLPL. I am unaware about his trip to this country, if he had madeone two months ago," he explained. The BCCI had refused No Objection Certificates to 12 Indian players - Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Manish Pandey and Paul Valthaty - saying that SLPL is not a tournament to be organised by SLC but by a private party based in Singapore on its behalf.SLC had denied Indian Cricket Board's claims and saidthat the event is owned and approved by SLC. The BCCI had refused NoObjection Certificates to 12 Indian players - Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, IrfanPathan, Dinesh Karthik, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary,Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Manish Pandey and Paul Valthaty - saying that SLPL isnot a tournament to be organised by SLC but by a private party based inSingapore on its behalf.SLC had denied Indian Cricket Board's claimsand said that the event is owned and approved by SLC.