Colombo, Oct 31 (PTI) Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) Chairman Arjuna Ranatunga today blamed the IPL for depriving the board USD 3 million due to cancellation of next year’s England tour because of non-availability of senior Lankan players who will play in the Indian Premier League.

“The SLC would have got USD 3 million including USD 2 million for TV rights which we have been deprived off as our senior players are contracted to play for the Indian Premier League and our tour to England has been cancelled,” Ranatunga told PTI.

He said it was “unfair” the SLC does not gain any money for releasing its players for the IPL even while agents get commissions from the fee paid to players taking part in the BCCI-backed tournament.

“One thing the players should remember is that they are employees of SLC. Every year, we sign about 40 cricketers from the national and ‘A’ teams. We give them very attractive contracts.

“It is SLC that looks after the players from the junior level and brings them to the level of national cricket by spending a lot of money. SLC should get some money from these cricketers rather than allow them to make payments to some outside agent.

“This way, we will safeguard our cricketers and make use of the money for cricket development,” Ranatunga said.

He said the SLC would have to take steps to ensure it becomes the sole representative of its players and earns revenue from any future contract the players sign with other organizations.
Source: ptinews.com

The International Cricket Council’S Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, says they may have to make room in the schedule for the Indian Premier League.This weekend in Singapore the IPL will sign a deal which will effectively give them a stake in the running of the game in Sri Lanka.

In return for around 70 million dollars over the next ten years the Sri Lankan board will agree not to schedule fixtures during the IPL.Lorgat says as long as Sri Lanka fufil their comitment under the future tours programme they are entitled to make such an agreement.

Source: radionz.co.nz

Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, has confirmed for the first time that the club are interested in hosting Indian Premier League matches at The Oval.

“It is true we have spoken to certain IPL franchises about staging games here,” Sheldon said. “If it was possible within the calendar and with the blessing of the ECB, we would certainly look at it.” Earlier this year Keith Bradshaw, the MCC chief executive, visited the tournament’s chairman, Lalit Modi, about the possibility of bringing IPL “exhibition” games to Lord’s. At the time, Sheldon was rumoured to have also shown interest for The Oval, though he denied any talks had been made.

Now, however – thanks to the agent of Surrey’s offspinner, Saqlain Mushtaq, who revealed Surrey’s plans to PakPassion.net – Sheldon has confirmed that the IPL might one day be coming to England.

“Looking forward to 2009, the domestic and international calendar is very tight – so it will probably be difficult to find time for it,” he said. “If it were possible we would be very keen to do it, but we would always work closely with the ECB.”
Source : cricinfo.com

Karachi: Pakistan batsman Younis Khan, who played for Rajasthan Royals in the lucrative Indian Premier League, has confirmed he has received full payment from the IPL.

“Yes the IPL has cleared all my dues including the bonus amount from the winning purse for the tournament,” said Younis, who played only one match for the eventual champions of the tournament.

Younis said that to his knowledge, his compatriot Umar Gul had also got his payments cleared by the IPL. The pacer, who hails from the North West Frontier Province appeared in a number of matches for Kolkata Knight Riders.

Younis, who joined the Royals side one month late, insisted that the team management cleared his decision under a understanding with the Royals team management.

“I was in touch with them after they had allowed me initially a week off to join them late. But later they said since everything was going well I could join them late. I joined them after getting clearance,” Younis said.

The senior player said he was happy that despite his limited appearance for the Rajasthan Royals side they had upheld his contractual obligations.

Sources say all the other Pakistani players, who participated in the tournament including captain Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Hafeez, Salman Butt, Shoaib Akhtar, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal have also had their payments cleared from the IPL.

Source: cricketnext.com

Darren Gough might appear in the second season of the Indian Premier League after being approached by officials from the money-spinning tournament.The former England star retired this summer as a full-time pro, but has a meeting booked to talk to the IPL.

Gough, 38, told BBC Sport: “The IPL has always been an interest for me.

“I can still bowl, I’ve proved that this season, I still get a buzz from cricket and it would be nice to test myself at that level again.”Gough – still the only man to take 200 wickets for England in one-day internationals – was only fit enough to appear in half of Yorkshire’s Championship matches this summer.

Earlier this year he said he would only consider a short-term tilt at Twenty20 cricket in 2009 if he knew his body could cope with the stress.He also said he was likeliest to make that return with Yorkshire rather than with one of the IPL sides.But in an apparent change of heart, he told BBC Sport: “The IPL would be a great buzz for me and I need cricket to be a buzz. It’s something I know I could do.

“I would do the [full IPL programme of] six weeks but realistically it might be a short-term deal as a replacement for someone else.”Every single cricketer wants to play in the IPL and there’s not so many places available this year.”

Gough said he would be steering clear of the IPL’s rival – the “rebel” Indian Cricket League – having committed to a family holiday this October, when the ICL’s second season starts.He went on: “A guy from the IPL rang me and we had a conference call, but I’ve not met them personally. There’s a meeting next week.

“It’s not something I need to do, and I’m not sitting here waiting to get on a plane – a couple of cricketers have retired for that reason.”I could have gone last year on a short-term deal. Now I’m retired it would be an ideal thing.”Though the IPL was a success in its first season, only one English player – Hampshire’s Dimitri Mascarenhas – played any part in it.

There remains some uncertainty about whether England’s centrally-contracted players like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff will feature in season two, although IPL chairman Lalit Modi is adamant they will.Each franchise in the IPL is allowed to spend $5m (£2.78m) on players’ salaries, though the salary cap could be removed in 2011.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk