Lankan minister rubbishes claims of SLPL being stalled

Sri Lanka Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage on Tuesday rubbished claims that Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) has been stalled due to non-participation of Indian players and sponsorship issues.

"The tournament will go ahead as per plan with or without the Indian players. There is no final word yet on the non availability of Indian players," Aluthgamage said.

Earlier, there were reports that the cash-strapped Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is likely to scale down the T20 league and not include the foreign players.

The Lankan Sports Minister feels that the reports have emerged from the fact that he had written a letter to his Indian counterpart, asking him to intervene in the dispute over releasing Indian cricketers.

BCCI had earlier refused 'No Objection Certificates' to 12 Indian players to play in the SLPL, stating that former IPL Chairman Lalit Modi has a stake in the Singapore-based company, which is organising SLPL on behalf of the SLC.