SLC negotiating with ECB to reschedule tour: Players' body

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan cricketers' body on Wednesday said that the Board was holding discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board to reschedule the proposed England tour next year to accommodate its players for the lucrative Indian Premier League.
Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association secretary Graeme Labrooy said SLC officials are exploring the possibility of rescheduling the matches of England tour next year to accommodate the players for IPL.
"The discussions are going on for the last two or three days and we are waiting to hear from the ECB," he said.
Top stars Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan have lucrative three-year contracts with different IPL franchisees and they do not want to miss the Twenty20 tournament due a clash of dates with the proposed England tour, scheduled for next April and May.
On July 8, the ECB announced dates for the Sri Lanka tour which starts with a warm-up game against Leicestershire on April 21 and ends with the third One-dayer on May 30.
President Mahinda Rajapakse had to intervene in favour of the players and asked the SLC to allow them to play in the IPL which the Board had to heed to.
Other Lankan cricketers who have IPL contracts include Chamara Kapugedra, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Silva and TM Dilshan.