da cassino： Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee will meet with SomersetEntertainment Ventures on Friday to discuss the future of the Sri LankaPremier League
Tariq Engineer and Nagraj Gollapudi05-Jul-2011
Sidath Wettimuny has denied that the SLPL will involve only Sri Lankan players•Getty Images
Sri Lanka Cricket’s new interim committee will meet with SomersetEntertainment Ventures on Friday to discuss the future of the Sri LankaPremier League (SLPL). The previous committee, which created the tournament,was dissolved last week by Sri Lanka’s sports ministry and a new panel wasappointed in its place. ESPNcricinfo understands that the new committee isstill getting up to speed on the tournament and will decide how to go aheadwith it once they have met Somerset.”We have not yet met the SLPL organisers,” Sidath Wettimuny, one of themembers of the new committee, told ESPNcricinfo. “The meeting is scheduled onFriday.” Wettimuny also denied rumours that the tournament had beenpostponed or that it would go ahead with only Sri Lankan players.The change in administration so close to the launch of the tournament is thelatest setback for the SLPL, which has already been hit by the BCCI’srefusal to allow Indian players to take part. The BCCI had withheld itspermission on the grounds that Somerset, which owns the commercial rights,would be handling the contracts for international players and that couldlead to complications should disputes arise over payments. In order toassuage the Indian board, SLC was willing to back the Indian players’contracts so that their financial interests were protected, but that was notenough to satisfy the BCCI. The Indian board has also claimed that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had a hand in the event, but SLC and Somerset have repeatedly deniedthe allegation, as has Modi.The BCCI’s decision means the tournament does not have a broadcaster for thelucrative Indian market, a situation that makes it much more difficult forthe SLPL to find a secure financial footing, something that the newcommittee will have to consider.One potential incentive for holding the tournament as scheduled is theChampions League T20 in September. The winner of the SLPL receives a spot inthat tournament and since Sri Lanka host Australia in August and September,July is the only available window before the CLT20. However, given that theSLPL’s first game is set for July 19th, SLC would have only 11 daysafter Friday’s meeting to organise the event, including putting in place securityfor the players and the anti-corruption measures required by the ICC.