The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : BCCI puts all future bilateral series against Sri Lanka on hold

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BCCI puts all future bilateral series against Sri Lanka on hold

Karachi: Miffed at the “hostile” statements from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials against the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to put on hold India’s all future bilateral series against Sri Lanka.

According to confidential documents obtained by PTI relating to a recent meeting between officials of the two Boards, the BCCI has made it clear that until the SLC changes its present hostile attitude towards the BCCI, all tours by the Indian team in the FTP till 2012 stand unconfirmed.

Documents show that the IPL Chairman, Lalit Modi, and other BCCI officials were extremely unhappy with some of the statements made by the SLC officials, particularly its President Arjuna Ranatunga, about the BCCI and the IPL.

“Mr. Modi and Mr. Niranjan Shah were very puzzled and shocked at the attitude of the SLC towards the BCCI and had serious concerns with regards to some of the press statements which had been released by some SLC officials,” the document stated.

“Further, they were very curious to find out the hostile manner in which the SLC mentioned BCCI/ IPL.”

The meeting was attended by Modi and other BCCI officials with a delegation of the SLC including Siddath Wettimuny.

The documents state that the Indian Board had also decided to withdraw the $40 million bailout package offer to SLC as it is not happy that the SLC chairman had decided to make public what was a confidential offer.

The Indian officials mentioned a damaging comment from Ranatunga in Dubai stating BCCI was trying to buy Sri Lankan cricket with the bailout package proposal.

Genuine effort

Modi said at the meeting that the bailout package was made with a genuine effort to assist SLC, which had a mutual understanding with them.

The two Boards were locked in a piquant situation over the clash of dates of Sri Lanka’s tour of England and the second edition of the IPL in April-May next year.

SLC wanted to confirm a Test tour to England, while the BCCI/ IPL said top Sri Lankan players signed up for the IPL have to appear in it as per their contractual obligations.

The BCCI offered a financial bailout package to its cash-strapped counterpart to assist it in case the proposed tour to England does not go ahead because of the absence of top players, but Ranatunga had reacted strongly to this proposal. — PTI

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