12.51 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Muralitharan slams Lanka over IPL row

Muttiah Muralitharan (right) celebrates the dismissal of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Tillakaratne Dilshan with Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s skipper Mahela Jayawardene (left) and Shantakumaran Sreesanth during the IPL in Kochi on Saturday. (AP)

Published
By Staff

Retired spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has slammed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for asking its players to return home midway through the Indian Premier League for a tour to England, saying the No Objection Certificate had permitted them to play till May 20, it has been reported.

“I think the board (SLC) has given them permission till May 20. I don’t know what happened suddenly. The players were told to come on May 5. It is the fault of SLC because they signed the NOC till May 20 so if they change it to May 5 it is something wrong,” said Muralitharan, who quit international cricket after Sri Lanka’s defeat to India in the World Cup final early this month.
“Players will get demoralised because if they go back on May 5 they play half of the IPL and they are going to miss a lot. SLC should have informed the players earlier, then the IPL franchises would understand and everyone would understand,” said the spin great who turns out for debutants Kochi Tuskers Kerala led by Mahela Jayawardena in the IPL.
The directive for players selected to tour England was issued by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage in consultation with the new selection committee headed by former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis.
Muralitharan said that the incident could spark “friction” between cricket boards of the two countries and SLC would lose a lot financially if it antagonises the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI).
“There’ll be a little bit of friction between the board (SLC) and the players and even the Indian Cricket Board. If the SLC is not going to support they are going to miss a lot from India, because when India tours Sri Lanka it is very important and if we are not playing in the Champions League Twenty20 we are going to lose some money. Friendship between India and Sri Lanka will be negative,” he said.
Sri Lanka cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow its players to take part in the cash-rich IPL which decision was criticised by World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
“We have 25 million dollars of debt after World Cup. You don’t have to antagonise India because when India comes only we make money and survive, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. It might get sorted. These things happen between countries but in the end financially we depend on India, whatever said and done. SLC will have to be careful,” he told a TV channel.
BCCI is in talks with Sri Lankan officials to resolve this dispute amicably but a decision has been delayed because the island nation is having a long holiday on account of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The Sri Lankan selectors are also due to name a new captain on Tuesday for the England tour following the resignation of Kumar Sangakkara and his deputy Jayawardena who led Kochi Tuskers to a shock victory over Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians in the IPL on Friday. Sangakkara, who leads Deccan Chargers, managed to break a jinx when they beat Royal Challengers Bangalore to win on home turf for the first time on Thursday.