'Lalit Modi has no stake in Sri Lanka Premier League'

Former IPL chief Lalit Modi has nothing to do with the Sri Lanka Premier League, according to the Somerset Entertainment Ventures, the company who has the marketing rights of the tournament.

"Contrary to recent news/media reports, SEV would like to point out emphatically that Mr. Lalit Modi, ex Commissioner of the Indian Premier League has no stake or involvement whatsoever in SEV, either directly or indirectly, and has nothing to do with the SLPL or any tournaments of SLC with which SEV is involved on any level. Modi is neither a partner nor a shareholder and is not associated with SEV, or its founders or shareholders, in any capacity, either now or in the past," they said in a statement.

The SEV also clarified that they only had the marketing rights of the tournament in contrary to BCCI's objections that they were organizing the event.

"SEV is a Singapore-based, sports promotion company which provides sports and hospitality focused marketing and consultancy services. Set up in 2010 in Singapore by the Bhammer family, SEV's flagship involvement in sports is through its partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket ("SLC") (Sri Lanka's apex cricket governing body).  The partnership, which is on a long-term basis, kicks off with the launch of the inaugural edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League ("SLPL") which is to be held from July 19 until August 4," the statement further said.

BCCI reiterates decision to stay away from SLPL

The BCCI has refused to change its stance on preventing Indian players from taking part in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) despite Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) offering bank guarantees to safeguard the Indian players' contracts. The two boards held a telephone conference on Thursday to discuss the issue, but were unable to come to an agreement. SLC, however, is expected to go ahead with the tournament as scheduled without the Indian players.

The BCCI had withheld its permission on the grounds that Somerset Entertainment Ventures, the company owning the commercial rights for the SLPL, would be handling the contracts for international players and that could lead to complications should disputes arise over payments. In order to assuage the Indian board, SLC were willing to back the Indian players' contracts so that their financial interests were protected, but that was not enough to satisfy the BCCI.

The BCCI's decision means the tournament will not have a broadcaster for the lucrative Indian market, a situation that makes it much more difficult for the SLPL to find a secure financial footing.

"It is their decision and we cannot force them to change their position," Sri Lanka's sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told Daily News & Analysis. "We knew that India was not going to change its stand. That was the reason why we did not go to India. We made an attempt to convince them, but the BCCI told us that it cannot reverse its stand. They seem to have some apprehensions over the tournament."

The minister also told the Times of India that Lalit Modi was the reason the BCCI did not want to be part of the tournament. "The Indian board told us they couldn't send their players for SLPL because they felt Modi is involved in this event. The BCCI also said that Modi is the third party and is working behind the scenes."

The BCCI's stand is contrary to that of the Australian, South African, New Zealand and Pakistan boards, which have all extended their support to the tournament. Tim May, the chief executive of Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), also backed the event. In a statement, May said that the association had negotiated the terms and conditions of SLPL player contracts with Somerset.

"FICA approved the final form of the player contract in January 2011," the statement read. "FICA's approval of the player contracts was communicated to all player associations in January. I am very surprised to see reports from the Indian media, that BCCI do not believe that players should sign the player contracts - that is certainly not the opinion of FICA or our legal advisors, and it is our charter to protect all players and to ensure that player contracts for events around the world are in acceptable form to protect player interests."

May also said he had a letter from SLC confirming that the event is an official SLC tournament and is fully sanctioned by the ICC. Daniel Vettori, Kevin O'Brien, Shahid Afridi, Kieron Pollard and David Warner are some of the international players expected to take part. The winner of the tournament is still expected to play in the Champions League Twenty20 in September.

SLC consistently denied the SLPL is a private-party organised tournament, saying it is owned and approved by SLC - and so, automatically, by the ICC. It said that Singapore-based Somerset Ventures only owns the commercial rights to the tournament. It also denied that Modi has anything to do with the event.

Tariq Engineer is a senior sub-editor at Cricinfo

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Sri Lanka Cricket fails to secure TV broadcaster for SLPL

    India has refused to change its stance on the Sri Lanka Premier League(SLPL) and will not allow Indian players to take part in the T20 tournament. Losing the Indian TV market comes as a massive blow to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), who are still unable to sell the tournament to an international broadcaster.

   The secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) N. Srinivasan informed SLC officials of the decision over the phone on Thursday.

   “It is their decision and we cannot force them to change their position,” sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage told the Indian newspaper Daily News & Analysis today.

   “We knew that India was not going to change its stand. That was the reason why we did not go to India,” he added, explaining why SLC chairman Somachandra de Silva and secretary Nishantha Ranatunga called off their trip to India on Wednesday to meet with BCCI officials.

    “We made an attempt to convince them, but the BCCI told us that it cannot reverse its stand. They seem to have some apprehensions over the tournament.”

   The financially struggling SLC had hoped the SLPL would be as gainful as the Indian Premier League (IPL), but losing Indian players and with it Indian TV audiences has dashed those hopes. Cricket-crazy India's large TV market brings in much of the advertising revenue, making the Indian team and its players highly sought after.

    In addition, the Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures (SEV) and SLC have failed to secure a broadcaster, with only weeks left before the start of tournament.

   “A lot depended on the Indian participation. Now that the Indians are not coming, we will try to sign a deal with a broadcaster internally in our country,” sports minister Aluthgamage added.

    India’s refusal is entirely as a result of SEV’s involvement in the competition. According to Indian media reports, the BCCI was unhappy that SLC had entrusted the issuing and signing of player contracts to SEV – a company launched only last year and, according to news reports, has links to the former IPL boss Lalit Modi, who now faces criminal charges in India.

   “Let's clarify that we are only the marketing partners of SLC and this tournament is owned, hosted and played by the Sri Lankan board as an official tournament,” SEV’s chairman Sandeep Bhammer told Gulf News recently.

    It is unclear at this time what SEV’s actual role in the tournament is, given the recent claims that they have also been in charge of signing overseas players for the SLPL, which is not generally considered a responsibility of a marketing partner. But what is clear is that the BCCI does not believe SEV are merely marketing partners.

    “In the IPL the players are contracted by the BCCI, but the SLPL is offering contracts with the event management company [SEV],” a BCCI official told reporters last week.

   “So, if there is any goof-up, Sri Lanka Cricket [SLC] cannot be held accountable. As a result, the board [BCCI] would not like to take any chances.”

The inaugural SLPL tournament is scheduled to get underway on July 19th.

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Bank guarantee offered to Indian players

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is willing to offer contracts to all Indian players, if they are allowed by  the BCCI to participate in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL). This was revealed by the top  SLC board official.     Apparently, at present, the contracts have been issued by the Singapore-based  company, Somerset Entertainment Ventures Pvt Ltd, the holder of the marketing rights.     "If the BCCI has reservation over doubts about the company, they are willing to give Bank  Guarantee to SLC for the payments to the Indian players and that is how the board officials will  argue to the Indian cricket board officials on Thursday (owing to visa delay, the chairman will  be arriving late and the meeting is rescheduled)", the source further added.. Only the Indian cricket board has  objection in having their players'  participation in the first edition  of the Sri Lanka Premier League ( SLPL) which is scheduled to be played  from July 19 to August 4. Following support from Australia and  South African boards, the hosts  have received thumbs up from New  Zealand as well.    "We have no problem with our players  participating in the Sri Lankan Premier  League; in fact we would encourage players  to do so outside of their international  commitments. We would hope the Sri  Lankan Cricket Board and their players  would support our domestic competitions  in the same way if they were asked to  participate in the HRV Cup", Hearth Mills,  the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association chief, said exclusively.    "It is our strong position that it would be viewed as a Restraint of Trade to stop players from working  for another organization if they have no obligations to their national board at that time. If New Zealand  Cricket did not automatically give an NOC to any player we would challenge that legally and it is our  clear advice that so long as a player is not missing obligations to the national board failure to give an  NOC would be a Restraint of Trade", he further added.    "With regard to the BCCI position on their players participating in the Sri Lankan event, we understand  that the Sri Lankan Board is working with an external company to deliver their event which is common  practice in the sports world. Much like the BCCI use IMG to help deliver the IPL. It seems semantics  who the players are actually contracted to as the event is controlled by the Sri Lankan Board  through the sanctioning process of the ICC. In any event if that was a material issue one would imagine it  could be easily solved with a bit of good will".    "If it was outsiders hosting and not the Sri Lankan Board then it can't be approved cricket under ICC rule  so that position of the BCCI doesn't make sense". The Sri Lankan Board must be involved otherwise it  wouldn't have been approved by ICC", Mills further added.       Several foreign players including Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan),  Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), Kevin O'Brien (Ireland) and Herschelle Gibbs (South Africa) have  already been signed for this tournament.

Sri Lanka Cricket rejects BCCI claim of SLPL being a private tournament

 Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has rejected the Board of Control for Cricket in India's claim that the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) is a private-party organised tournament.

In a statement, the SLC said that the SLPL is owned and approved by it, and therefore, automatically by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

It further said that the Singapore-based Somerset Ventures only owns the commercial rights to the tournament.

The SLC rejoinder came a day after the BCCI had said it would not allow any Indian player to participate in the tournament on grounds that it was a privately-run event.

"This tournament is approved by SLC. And Somerset are the marketing arm, having won the rights through a tender process. Nobody can say it is owned by Somerset," ESPNcricinfo quoted SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, as saying on Sunday.

Ranatunga said that Somerset Ventures is responsible for the logistics and marketing of the tournament, a role similar to the one IMG plays for the IPL.

But unlike in the IPL where the teams are owned by private franchises, it is the SLC that owns the seven teams in the tournament and will determine which players are assigned to which teams, thereby giving them a substantial degree of control over the event.

The BCCI had initially stated it had no problems with the proposed league and that Indian players were free to take part, as long as there was no conflict with India's international or domestic schedule.

However, it backtracked on Saturday by refusing to give no objection certificates to the 12 Indian cricketers who were signed up for participation in the SLPL.

That sudden volte face has left SLC "surprised and hurt", Ranatunga said, and the board will be meeting on Monday to discuss how to tackle the situation.

He added: "We need to explain the matter to the BCCI and whatever the concerns that they have, we need to give them an explanation. It is very important to have them [Indian players] as they add a lot of value and glamour to the tournament."

However, when asked whether he was hopeful a solution could be found, Ranatunga said, "I really don't know. We will have to wait and see."

The SLPL will be played between July 19 and August 4 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. 

PCB may stop Afridi from playing in SLPL

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said it can ban Shahid Afridi from participating in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) if the former Pakistan captain doesn't stop his rants against the board. 

Earlier this month, the PCB granted Afridi a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play for Hamp shire in English Twenty20 league after their bitter dispute was settled out of court.

But Afridi's continued tirade has irked the PCB and some top officials are not in favour of granting him an NOC to play in SLPL to be held in Colombo during July-August.

Quoting an unnamed PCB official, Express Tribune reported on Thursday that the Board will not hesitate in taking action against Afridi in case of 'foul play'.

Afridi, after a long stand-off with the PCB that also involved a legal battle, finally left for England to play for Hampshire after getting his NOC back.

The all-rounder - currently focusing on foreign leagues in the aftermath of his retirement from international cricket - was confident of getting the board's permission for tournaments like next month's SLPL.

However, a PCB official warned that Afridi should not take things for granted. "Afridi is still being monitored closely," said the official.

"The board is keeping a hawk's eye on his interviews. Any harsh statement against the board may lead him to trouble again. He will have to apply for NOCs for other tournaments again and any foul play will surely block his participation.

"The PCB still has the right to take action against him and block his participation in foreign leagues. Legally, the board can take action against a player within 12 months after the suspension of the central contract."

Afridi had to return from England after the board revoked his NOC for county cricket, following the 31-year-old's retirement decision and statements against the board. Even after the out-of-court settlement, he was slapped with a fine of Rs.4.5 million before he could get his NOC back.

Corruption and incompetence brings Sri Lanka's SLPL T20 tournament to its knees

         The poorly thought out Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) was handed over to the previously unheard of Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures – a company that has no apparent prior record of planning or managing any event. That decision has caused the inaugural tournament to hit yet another snag, with India now unlikely to send any players for the league.

       The financially struggling Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had hoped to replicate the successes of the money-making Indian Premier League (IPL). But with 30 days to go before the start of the tournament, the media is in the dark, an official website has not been created, and the squads have not yet been announced.

       Rather worryingly, Somerset Entertainment Ventures does not even possess a website.

At a meeting on Saturday by of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s tours, programme and fixtures committee, it was decided that “no Indian will play in the [SLPL] competition,” India’s Deccan Heraldreported yesterday.

Along with scheduling conflicts, SLC’s decision to handover the handling of player contracts to Somerset Entertainment Ventures will prevent Indians from playing in the SLPL.

   “What has also not gone down too well with the BCCI, it is learnt, is that the contracts for the SLPL aren’t being handed down by Sri Lanka Cricket but by the event managing company, which could make the resolution of any potential dispute extremely contentious,” the report said.

     Last week, a press conference at Lord’s to announce the launch of the SLPL was cancelled on short notice, after a row between the MCC and ECB erupted over an unrelated incident.

And the news that India may not send its players for the SLPL couldn’t come at worse time for SLC, who are in a financial crisis, and had hoped the T20 tournament would be as lucrative as the IPL.

    Interestingly, however, just last month, sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage claimed that SLC was not in any financial difficulties. “There is no financial crisis,” he told parliament in May.

    But speaking to the BBC, earlier this month, SLC treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse admitted that the governing body of cricket on the island was indeed seeking a bailout from the government.

     Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim committee Somchandra de Silva (L), Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga (C) and Sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage (R). © AFP“There have been allegations that the widespread corruption by the senior officials involved in the construction of venues and the World Cup has been another major reason for the crisis,” the BBC said in the same report.

A week after the treasurer’s admission, the sports minister informed reporters in Colombo that there was a crisis at hand.

“Sri Lanka Cricket ran out of funds after hosting the World Cup and sought government help to settle some payments,” he admitted, backtracking from his earlier remarks.

      During a recent cabinet meeting, ministers had not looked favourably upon the request for a bailout, according to a report on Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper.

“They refused to even discuss the memo saying there were other priorities for the government to attend [to] than using public funds to give adrenaline to the corrupt and inefficient SLC,” the paper quoted an unnamed source, as saying.

In a rare first, the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has said that it will now summon SLC officials to investigate the allegations.

COPE chairman, minister of human resources, D.E.W. Gunasekara recently revealed to the state news agency Lankapuvath that SLC accounts had not been audited for five years.

       Since COPE announced its intentions to investigate SLC, and with the recent allegations in the media of corruption and fraud, hard drives with crucial financial data pertaining to the World Cup have been stolen from SLC offices.

"It has to be an inside job. A robot didn't come and steal the hard disks," Aluthgamage told reporters on Tuesday.

“Sri Lanka Cricket had backed up the data and we don't need to worry about losing the information,” he added.

      But you can’t blame the public for not taking the minister’s word, or for questioning if the backed up data isn’t an outright fraud; since his appointment, the minister has done little to prove his credibility.

With no media release to announce the launch of the event, there is uncertainty if these logos, which are currently circulating on the internet, are even official.Furthermore, after seeking an exorbitant US $2.75 million (Rs. 290 million) for TV rights for the SLPL, and the state broadcaster Rupavahini being unable to afford the sum, the contract for local TV rights was handed to a Carlton Sports Network (CSN).

      The Sri Lankan paper Daily Mirror has revealed that SLC secretary Ranatunga “is the CEO of the CSN Channel”.

It is unlikely that the SLPL will resemble the IPL, and it is highly doubtful that the tournament will generates any income to benefit Sri Lankan cricket. The five-year contract awarded to Somerset Entertainment Ventures has effectively placed the entire tournament, much of the profits included, in the hands of a little known organisation.

No record of SLC advertising the call for tenders, prior to handing the tender to Somerset Entertainment Ventures, has been found to date.

       Meanwhile, SLPL tournament logos and team logos have been circulated on social networks by cricket fans. But neither SLC nor Somerset Entertainment Ventures has officially released graphics related to the event.

The incompetence of SLC's IT department, which handles their currently very amateur web presence and social media activities, becomes further apparent when numerous Twitter accounts and Facebook pages are currently making the claim that they officially represent the SLPL tournament.

© Island Cricket