Rahul Sharma claims he will miss Harbhajan Singh in his maiden Test

The young Indian spinner, Rahul Sharma, is excited to have been picked for team India’s first Test match against West Indies, but claims that he will miss his state fellow and legendary bowler, Harbhajan Singh, who has not been mandated.
Sharma is of the view that every Punjab-born cricketer considers Bhajji as his hero in lieu of his heroics in both International and domestic cricket.
Talking to the media today, the emerging spinner said, “I am really excited to be in the Test squad, but will definitely miss Bhajji. Every cricketer in Punjab idolises Harbhajan and I am no different.”
Harbhajan, who pulled out of the Blue Shirts’ last English tour due to abdominal injury, has been out of the scene since the last couple of months. He was vehemently overlooked by the national selectors for the recently-concluded home series against England despite the fact that the spin master excellently led the Mumbai Indians to claim their maiden Champions League T20 title.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to launch Sharma at the International stage to fill Bhajji's boots.
Sharma had been outstanding in the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Representing Pune Warriors, he personated impressive bowling. Moreover, the youngster has spent a lot of time in the National Cricket Academy (NCA), learning professional skills under the supervision of legends like Anil Kumble.
Paying a hearty tribute to the former legend, Shamra told, “Few years in NCA helped me get a taste of top class cricket and tips from Anilbhai (Kumble) were something I gained there. Anilbhai is a role model for every young spinner in the country. He taught me a lot of things for which I will remain obliged to him forever.”
Sharma hopes to capitalise on the opportunity and come up to the expectations of the selectors by delivering his utmost in his maiden Test, scheduled to start from November 6, 2011.
The 24-year-old has 10 First-Class, 13 List A and 28 T20 matches to his name.

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Poonam Pandey wants God to be on India’s side in the fifth One Day International

Poonam Pandey, the Indian model after failing to motivate team India to grab a victory in the ongoing one-day series against England by making provocative offers regarding her semi-nude pictures has finally turned to religion for help as she seeks the hand of God in the fifth and final match of the one-day series against England on Friday, 15, September.
Pandey while wishing the team good luck for the final match of the disastrous English tour tweeted, “Beautiful Phrase From Guru Granth Sahib :- "Teri kismat da likha tere toh koi kho nahi sakda... je usdi mehar hove te tenu o v mil jaega jo tera ho nahi sakda.."  Wish My Team shud win Tmrw!! so Want "Gods Mehar" on the Men in Blue :).”
Earlier, the 20-year-old self proclaimed cricket fan had stated that she would be gifting her provocative pictures to the Indian team by posting them on her twitter page after India’s win in every match during the one-day series.
However, the team has failed to beat the English, which has left the model irritated and annoyed and now it is the final chance for the World Champions to see the model in her skimps.
She has once again promised to share her happiness on twitter every time the Indian players achieve something on the field.
She also praised the heroic efforts by middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid who will be playing his last one-day international on Friday.
“Dravid saved Team India a million times, let’s give the man a million-dollar farewell tomorrow. The one man who makes Blue look Regal without trying too hard: Rahul Dravid. We will miss you,” she tweeted.
Pandey made headlines during the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011, when she announced that she would strip for the national team if they lift the title.
However, due to the conservative Indian culture, she was not permitted to go ahead with her plan as her act was considered obscene by many circles in India.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also had its reservations on the matter and did not permit her to give the team a private show in their dressing room.

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Zaheer Khan likely to be rested for limited-over series against West Indies

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stated  that India 's left-arm fast bowler, Zaheer Khan, has requested the board to rest him for the limited overs part of the West Indies tour.
Zaheer is considered the spearhead of the Indian bowling line-up and has performed exceptionally well for the last couple of years in all formats of the game. He was also the joint top wicket-taker of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and had claimed 21 scalps.
However, he has been playing regularly for India for the last couple of years and has asked for a well deserved rest. Since the Men in Blue leave for West Indies right after the conclusion of the ongoing Indian Premier League, Khan will not have the time to rest and recover. His below-par performance for Royal Challengers Bangalore also reflects how thinly worn the player is right now.

Indian Pacer has informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India about his concern and will write to it officially on May 10, 2011. It is learnt that the BCCI will not force him to play the ODIs and T20 game against West Indies.
A BCCI official said that India have important tours to England and Australia coming up, so if any player asks for rest, there was no harm in giving it to them.
The BCCI spokesperson also said, “He has informed the Board informally. And before the selection committee meets on May 10 he will be writing to the BCCI secretary. The Board will not force him to play the ODIs and T20 game. India has a bunch of tours lined up and we need a fit Zaheer in England and Australia. If any player asks for rest then there is no harm in it, as earlier too we have given rest to players who have asked for it.”
Zaheer Khan is one of the fastest bowlers of the Indian cricket team. He started his International cricket career in 2000 against Kenya. In his remarkable 191 One Dayers he has taken 273 wickets at an average of 28.84.

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BCCI refuses to allow Indians to play in the Australian Big Bash

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has disappointed Cricket Australia (CA), by not allowing their players to participate in the Big Bash.
Now, Australian cricket will have to rely on the services of the West Indian cricketers for the T20 based tournament.
CA did not ask for the Indian World Cup winning players but they were willing to hire some limited-over specialists for the Big Bash, scheduled to be played from mid December to the end of January.
The chief administrating officer of the Indian Board, Ratnakar Shetty said that the board will continue with its policy of not allowing domestic players to go since the Indian season will be played between October and March.

"In fact last year some teams wanted Indian players and they were not available because of [the] domestic tournament," said Shetty.
The chief also added that the new Indian coach has nothing to do with the policy decision of the board because players can’t be allowed to play overseas when the domestic tournament is on.
Shetty said that Sri Lanka will have their league matches in July, which does not clash with their domestic tournament so the players willing to play can participate with prior permission.
Overall schedule of the teams revealed that England players can participate in the first half of the Big Bash; while Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan would enter the tournament in second half.
At the moment 35 Australian players, including the legendry Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist, are playing in the Indian Premier League’s fourth edition.
Warne is playing a dual role for the Rajasthan Royals, serving them as captain and coach. He has been successful in both the roles to a considerable extent as his team is currently third on the table.
Gilchrist on the other hand, is leading the Kings XI Punjab, who are languishing at the 7^th place.
IPL has been gaining popularity globally and it’s fourth edition is currently going on.

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BCCI OFFICIALS PRESENT INDIAN PM WITH ICC WORLD CUP 2011 SOUVENIR

Officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) met Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and presented him with an autographed cricket bat bearing signatures of all the members of India's ICC World Cup 2011 winning squad.

The officials included, BCCI President Shashank Manohar, Secretary N Srinivasan and Vice President Rajiv Shukla. They presented a cricket bat autographed by the national cricket team to the PM in the meeting held in New Delhi.

According to sources, this is the BCCI’s first official meeting with the Indian PM after India’s glorious win in the coveted tournament. During the meeting with the PM, the BCCI officials expressed their desire to improve other sports of the country as well. They discussed different plans and strategies with the Manmohan Singh for building new sports arenas and stadiums for different sports in India. The officials also requested the PM to help the board with financial support and assistance.

The vice-president of the BCCI Rajiv Shukla stated, “It was a courtesy meeting with the Prime Minister and we gifted him with a bat signed by all the members of the World Cup winning team.”

Indian President Pratibha Patil witnessed the final of the ICC World Cup 2011 between India and Sri Lanka along with Sri Lanka President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. She then invited the victorious India team to a tea party the next day in Mumbai and took group photos with the successful Men in Blue.

The BCCI members also conveyed their heartiest gratitude to the PM for visiting Mohali to watch the Indo-Pak semi-final played on March 30, 2011.

They also expressed their appreciation for Dr. Manmohan for inviting the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Yousuf Raza Gilani to India to watch the Indo-Pak semi-final with him. They said that this would be helpful in building friendly relations between the two countries.

Pak-India cricket ties, which were hampered after the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed 164 people, seem to be back on track after the two countries played each other in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup 2011 in Mohali. Both the leaders vowed to resume cricketing ties between the countries and saw the sport as a means to normalise relations between the neighbours.

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KAPIL DEV AND SUNIL GAVASKAR FAVOUR INDIAN COACHES

Two Indian greats and former captains, Sunil Gavaskar, and, Kapil Dev, have condemned the appointment ofDuncan Fletcher as Coach of the Indian Cricket team.

Quite a few other Indians share their opinion, but Dev and Gavaskar, are the two most prominent players, who wanted an Indian Coach instead of a foreigner. The BCCI should have given priority to an experienced former player of India, who could have produced better results as compared to Fletcher.

"Someone like [Mohinder] Amarnath would have been a better choice for the simple reason that the core of the Indian team today is from the Hindi-speaking belt", Gavaskar told the NDTV news channel. "He would have got on brilliantly with this group as well as the seniors. It would have been a lot easier for Amarnath to understand and interact with the players.

He could have been the best choice since he was a fighter himself as a player and had an excellent record of making comebacks and he knows how to get the best out of the team".

Amarnath has played 69 Test matches and 85 One Day International (ODIs) for India. He was instrumental in winning the Prudential World Cup, 1983 held in England. He gave an all round performance in the final againstWest Indies on 25^th June, 1983, at Lords’ London.

He posted  26 runs in a low scoring match, took three crucial wickets and was declared ‘Player of the match’, as they brought back home their first World Cup.

Kapil Dev, the great former Indian Captain, who lifted the World Cup in 1983, agreed with Gavaskar and was optimistic that Indians are capable enough to coach the team with positive results.

He pleaded for Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad, who have been coaching for a couple of years, as fielding and bowling coaches. Both of them fulfilled their assignments successfully until 2009 and brought the team fitness level to a peak, excelling in their assigned fields.

Kapil Dev was the coach of the Indian National Cricket team from September, 1999 to 12^th Septebmer, 2000.

Kapil inquired about Fletcher from ‘The Hindustan Times newspaper’ reporter and was ignorant about the coach since he played against him in 1983 Prudential World Cup:

"That happened almost 30 years ago. I don't remember much of him as a player. I would like to see Prasad and Robin as coaches of the Indian team. Not because they are Indians but because they did a great job at the T20 World Cup in 2007”.

Indian cricket has yet to witness a local coach since John Wright took over from 2000 to 2005. He gave confidence to the Indian side and they made it to the final of the 2003 World Cup. Greg Chappell and Gary Kirsten followed and Fletcher is the latest addition in the list.

India won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 under the dominant coaching of Kirsten.

Gavaskar and Kapil are of the view that an Indian coach could have served in a better way, as the communication gap would have been eliminated and he could have produced positive results for Indian Cricket.

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SUPREME COURT DELIVERS SPLIT VERDICT ON BCCI RULE AMENDMENT

The Supreme Court has given a split verdict on an appeal that challenged the clause by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the exclusion of Twenty20 series and Indian Premier League (IPL) from its purview, today on April 28, 2011. The issue has now been referred to the Chief Justice who may assign it to a larger bench.

Former president of Board of Control for Cricket in India, Annamalai Chidambaram Muthiah, had filed the petition, alleging that the modification was made to benefit N. Srinivasan, the cricket board secretary who is the owner of the IPL roster, Chennai Super Kings.

Justice Panchal dismissed the appeal filed by A.C.Muthiah, while Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra accepted the petition, saying that a cricket board official should not be allowed to own an IPL franchise.

"If Srinivasan opts to hold interest in the IPL team, he shall be able to do so but restrained to hold any office in BCCI," stated Justice Mishra.

Muthiah had claimed that the amendment in the rules book was made without following the legally prescribed procedures for the BCCI. Regarding the decision to exclude the Twenty20 tournaments and the Indian Premier League from BCCI’s scope was termed as “illegal and opposed to public policy”.

On the other hand the BCCI secretary accused Muthiah of bad intentions and he his complaint only reflects his ulterior motives. In order to buttress his claim, Muthiah informed the court about a series of events that followed up to the amendment of the clause in September 2008.

Muthiah had argued that according to the original rules, the officials of the BCCI’s administration are not allowed to directly or indirectly have a commercial stake in the games or events organized by the board. He noted that the violation of the rule will only result in a conflict of interests as is witnessed in the case where the Chennai squad is owned by the Indian Cement Limited. Srinivasan is a share holder, Managing director and the Vice President of the firm.

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John Buchanan lauds Duncan Fletcher’s coaching experience

Former Australian coach, John Buchanan, praised former England and South African coach, Duncan Fletcher’s, experience saying that he best suits to take up the Indian coaching post and may guide them better than his predecessor, Gary Kirsten.
"He's obviously got a pretty good track record on the international and county circuits, and he's got a pretty wide range of coaching experience", Buchanan said.
Buchanan, who is going to take over his new post as New Zealand’s director of coaching said that Fletcher has some similarities with the former Indian coach and holds plenty of coaching records. Earlier, Fletcher had brilliant coaching experience with the England team, guiding them to marvelous victories during 2000 to 2004.
The Zimbabwean born has been named as India’s new coach after Kirsten’s removal from the position on Wednesday. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, N Srinivasan, revealed that Fletcher has been appointed for two years to coach the Indian team.
Fetcher was chosen from the lists of candidates which included former New Zealand player, Stephen Fleming, and Zimbabwean, Andy Flower.
Indians had some special memories with their former South Africa-born coach, Kirsten, who helped them clinch the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 title.
Despite having no prior coaching experience, Kirsten proved to be the most successful coach for India. During his three-year tenure, a considerable improvement was seen in all areas of Indian cricket including batting, bowling, and fielding.
He also helped the team in posting them at the top in the ICC Test rankings. In addition, the batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, and pacer, Zaheer Khan, also restored their form during his tenure.
With such achievements under their previous coach, the Indian team would now be expecting Fletcher to guide them in a similar manner so that they can maintain their form, taking on the hectic schedule ahead of them.
The new coach will start off his duties with the Indian’s tour of West Indies which will start in June. The tour includes a Twenty20, five One-Day Internationals and three Tests.
Following the West Indies tour, the Indian team’s hectic schedule would continue as they are next scheduled to start a longer tour of England which includes four Tests, a Twenty20 and five ODIs.

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ICC laments senior Indian players decision to skip West Indies tour

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has lamented rumours that star Indian players, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virendar Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, and, Zaheer Khan would miss their upcoming series against West Indies, as a means to give themselves a rest before their series against Australia and England.

According to reports, many senior players of the Indian cricket team have requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to grant them permission to skip the West Indies tournament starting on June 4, 2011. This tour includes three Tests and five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and one Twenty20 game

The players added that they have been playing two months consecutively. First it was the ICC World Cup 2011, which concluded with the victory of Men in Blue. Currently it is the Indian Premier League (IPL).

There was only a six day gap between the World Cup and the IPL, which has exhausted the players. Hence they need a break from such a hectic schedule because they cannot afford to play another series after the end of IPL Twenty20 league on May 28, 2011.

Although Indian players have submitted their request to the BCCI, the ICC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Haroon Lorgat has said that it would be harmful for Indian cricketers to skip the Windies tour.

Lorgat stated, “I think it affects the brand of cricket. Everybody wants to see a full strength side. Same applies to the IPL and any of the FTP (Future Tour Program) commitments. Because of the volume of cricket, every individual player has to be managed”.

While talking to the media, Lorgat said that the permission can be granted to a couple of players who need rest. However, all the crucial cricketers appealing for a skip from the tour would not be appropriate, he added.

Lorgat said, “One or two stars, asking for a rest is okay. If five or six stars do not want to go to West Indies, then I think, it's not an appropriate fulfilment of what has been committed to the FTP".

The ICC boss Haroon Lorgat said that the ICC Future Tours Programme does not take into account the domestic events of any country and the Indian Premier League is no exception.

He said that it is possible that in future, other boards ask for similar favours if the ICC grants a designated space to the IPL. He said that although the BCCI had not requested such a window, the cricket's governing body was not going to accommodate it if it asked.

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Board of Cricket Control India refuses to cut down franchise fee for Pune and Kochi

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) working committee on Wednesday has refused to cut down the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises fee for the two new teams, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors.

Earlier, both the teams had forwarded their requests on the basis that the BCCI did not follow the terms in the Invitation to Tender with respect to the number of matches to be played in the ongoing IPL tournament.

The two debutants had already paid 75 percent of the annual installment of the total fee and wanted waive off the remaining amount.

Kochi and Pune Warriors explained that as per their contract, each team was supposed to play 18 matches at home and away but the BCCI had now reduced the matches to 14. As a result, the total numbers of matches were trimmed from 94 to 74, in a bid to lessen the work load on the players. Sahara bought Pune for US$370 million, while Kochi were purchased for US$333 million.

Pune, under the captaincy of World Cup winning star, Yuvraj Singh, started the tournament with a bang, as they earned two consecutive wins in the opening matches against Kings XI Punjab and Kochi. While in the next three matches, they lost their form and faced three successive defeats. On the other side, Kochi, who are being led by Sri Lankan, Mahela Jayawardene, did not have a stable start but later developed their form and earned three successive wins over Mumbai Indians, KKR and Chennai Super Kings. They are currently placed above Pune Warriors with three wins out of their six matches played.

Media reports also revealed that the committee did not have any discussion on the issue of resting senior players for the West Indies tour after a long, hectic schedule. The Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also opposed the tough schedule.

India will leave for the West Indies tour in June, which includes a Twenty20, five ODIs and three Tests while the ongoing IPL season, which started on April 8, will end on May 28.

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SRI LANKAN MEDIA CRITICISES SPORTS MINISTER’S U-TURN ON PLAYERS RETURN FROM IPL

Sri Lankan media slammed sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage for taking a U-turn on his earlier decision of calling Lankan cricketers back from the Indian Premier League.

Earlier, Aluthgamage ordered Lankan players to return home by May 5, 2011 in order to participate in the preparatory camp ahead of their crucial England tour. However, in a complete change of stance, the minister allowed the players to stay in India until May 18 and reach England directly.

The media has been demanding Aluthgamage’s resignation for changing his stance that the Lankan players must put country before the cash rich Twenty20 league.

“Now that the minister has not been able to deliver what he promised why doesn`t he seriously consider resignation,” a leading Lankan newspaper The Island wrote.

The paper further described that minister has blamed the Sri Lanka Cricket for issuing No Objection Certificates to players without setting any timeframe for their return.

“We feel the sports minister has completely lost the point here,” the newspaper added.

Under immense pressure from the Board of Control for Cricket in India to extend the earlier deadline, the Sri Lanka Cricket relented after meeting Aluthgamage and permitted its players to stay in the tournament for 13 more days.

The sports minister has been heavily criticised for changing his decision after possible backdoor negotiations with the BCCI.

The former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is leading Deccan Chargers whereas Mahela Jayawardene is doing the same job for Kochi Tuskers Kerala.

Along with Sangakkara and Jayawardene, the key Sri Lankan IPL participants include Suraj Randiv (Chennai Super Kings), Nuwan Kulasekara (Chennai Super Kings), Dilhara Fernando (Mumbai Indians), Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians), Angelo Mathews (Pune Warriors) and Thisara Perera (Kochi Tuskers).

The Twenty20 League will continue until May 28, 2011 but the SLC has now allowed its players to leave the IPL by May 18.

Sri Lanka will start their tour of England officially with a warm-up game against Middlesex on May 14, 2011 followed by another one on May 19 against the England Lions.

The first Test of three match series is scheduled to begin from May 26, 2011 which means that the Sri Lankan players, who will reach England from the IPL, would have just a week to prepare themselves for the contest.

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BCCI PRESIDENT SHASHANK MANOHAR SAYS THE BOARD IN NO HURRY TO HIRE NEW COACH

The Board of Control for Cricket in India President Shashank Manohar said on Friday that the Board is in no hurry to hire a new head coach for the team.

The BCCI president said that the India cricket team has no international assignment until June 1, 2011 so they are in no hurry to bring in a head coach. He however, did confirm that they are in the process of finding a replacement for Gary Kirsten who stepped down from the position after India’s successful ICC World Cup 2011 campaign.

“We are still in the process of doing so (finding a new team coach). There's no hurry as the team is leaving for the West Indies only on June 1,” said Manohar while talking to media reporters on Friday.

He also turned down any possibility of deciding on the matter in BCCI’s Working Committee meeting scheduled to be held on April 27, 2011. Manohar said that the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting would include various sub-committees’ reports.

Many names, including England head coach Andy Flower are doing the rounds as the best possible replacement of the South African. There are also talks that the BCCI may hire an interim coach for team’s tour of West Indies starting in June 2011 if they fail to find a fitting replacement for Kirsten.

The BCCI president also confirmed that they have reached an agreement with the Sri Lanka Cricket and their players are now available to their respective Indian Premier League franchises until May 18, 2011.

When asked about the Sri Lanka speedster, Lasith Malinga– who was called back by the SLC for faking a knee injury– Manohar said that he does not know about individual players.

Malinga excused from joining the national side for tour of England citing a knee injury so that he could play for Mumbai Indians in the remaining part of the IPL but the SLC called him back to join a rehabilitation program.

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Sri Lanka changes decision to call back players from IPL

After negotiations with India’s cricket board, Sri Lanka has changed their decision of calling back their cricketers earlier from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
Earlier this month, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had asked their players to return back home by May 5, 2011.
On the other hand, the vice-president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and franchises revealed that SLC had promised to allow their players to stay in the IPL till May 21, 2011.
BCCI sent a request to SLC for extending the stay of their players in India for IPL, but they did not receive any positive response.
SLC secretary, Nishantha Ranatunga, said that after discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, both the bodies have reached a consensus that Sri Lankan cricketing authorities would not call back their players if the cricketers manage to participate in the second warm-up match on May 19, because that preparation will be enough for the tour of England.
The tour includes three Tests, one Twenty20 and five One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The first match of the tour will be played on May 14, while the first Test match is scheduled to be started on May 26.
Sri Lanka’s sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, earlier had said that in the future, players will only be allowed to play foreign leagues such as IPL, if it would not affect the national team.
The star players playing in the IPL are, Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene, and, Tillakratne Dilshan.
Sangakkara has recently stepped down from the captaincy of Sri Lanka, following their exit in the final of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011, at the hands of India.
Following Sangakkara’s decision, Jayawardene and four selectors including Aravinda de Silva also stood down from their posts. Dilshan is now appointed, as a new captain, who will lead his team in the upcoming series.
Pacer, Malinga, who has given a significant performance in the recently concluded mega-event, has refused to play in the three-match series, mentioning an injury.
However, his excuse raised controversies and the cricket officials of his country are expected to call him back for a rehabilitation programme.

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SRI LANKA CRICKET’S DECISION OF CALLING THEIR PLAYERS BACK FROM IPL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) condemned Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) decision of calling back their players early from the Indian Premier League and revealed that the board is in negotiations with the SLC to fix the issue.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla also unveiled that the Sri Lankans were supposed to stay in India till the 21^stof May as it was mutually decided by the boards of both the countries and franchises are also bearing out the same agreement. He added that the Sri Lankan board now wanted the early return of their players, which is not fair.

"Nothing has been decided as yet. The BCCI president is in touch with the Sri Lankan board and some kind of a dialogue is going on between the two boards," he said.

The tensions between the boards of both the countries started when Sri Lankan government forced SLC to ask all their players playing in the IPL to return home by the 5^th of May in a bid to prepare for the England tour which starts with a Test Match on the 26^th of May. The tour includes three Tests, one Twent20 and five One-Day internationals.

BCCI sent a request to the Sri Lankan board asking that the star players should be allowed to play in the Twenty20 format tournament at least till the mid of May. However, SLC did not pay any heed to their request and simply stayed firm on their demand.

The main Sri Lankan players which are currently playing in the IPL include Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and the newly appointed Sri Lankan captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Jayawardene is leading the new team Kochi Tuskers Kerala as their skipper while Sangakkara, who stepped down as the Sri Lankan captain following their defeat in the World Cup 2011 final, is leading the Deccan Chargers.

Media reports revealed that BCCI may strike back by asking franchises to seize the players’ salaries and may also refuse to pay SLC its share of 10 percent from the players’ incomes.

Shukla however, denied the reports saying that BCCI does not have any such intentions and is trying to sort out the issue through dialogue.

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EARLY EXIT FROM IPL MAY COST SRI LANKA PLAYERS THEIR SALARIES

Sources from Board of Control for Cricket in India hinted on Thursday that the Board may block the IPL salaries of Sri Lanka players if they leave the money-spinning T20 league in the midst of the tournament to meet their international commitments.

The source said that as per understanding between the India and Sri Lanka cricket boards, the players cannot leave their respective franchises in the midst of the tournament barring injuries. He further added that if SLC and its players did not honour their commitments, then the BCCI might not pay them their IPL salaries.

“As per the understanding between BCCI and SLC, Lankan players were to stay on till May 22. It was on the basis of that the teams had bought the Lankan players,” told a BCCI source to a leading India sports website.

“According to IPL rules, only those cricketers who are available for the whole season without injury are supposed to be paid the entire salary. We are telling the Lankan board that its cricketers' salaries would be blocked for now if they leave without honouring their commitments,” he added further. 

The sports ministry of Sri Lanka has ordered its players to come back home by May 5, 2011 to join the national team for the training camp for their tour of England starting from May 10. The Sri Lankan Lions have welcomed the Board’s decision and are willing to leave the lucrative Indian Premier League in the midst of the tournament.

Currently eleven Sri Lanka players, including Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga, are playing for different IPL franchises. The BCCI had made an informal request to the Sri Lanka government as well as the cricket board but it is learnt that the islanders have decided to ignore the request and are stern to call back the players.

However, the Board officials refused to confirm any such news saying that they are in discussions with the Sri Lanka Cricket and it would be a bit early to comment.

The BCCI official asked the reporters to wait and watch over the developments however, he did agree that there was no signal that the SLC may change its stance.

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