Sri Lanka says India broke promises

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's sports minister said Friday his country had organised its inaugural cricket premier league on the understanding that Indian players, who have since been banned from playing, would take part.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage said he had written to his Indian counterpart seeking intervention after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) blocked its players.

"The BCCI promised us, they gave us in writing that players will be released. Now they say something else. I hope the Indian sports minister will help us," Aluthgamage told a news conference.

Fast bowlers Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel were among 12 Indian players who were blocked by the BCCI from playing in the T20 tournament in Sri Lanka from July 19 to August 4.

"We will go ahead with the tournament with players from Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan. India remains our friend. I don't want to make this a diplomatic issue," he said.

The minister said the BCCI's reluctance stemmed from reports that the event was being organised by Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures with alleged links to Lalit Modi, the former boss of the Indian Premier League.

"We are unable to trace Mr. Modi's links with Somerset. But BCCI appears not convinced with our answers," Aluthgamage said.

London-based Modi faces criminal charges, including false accounting, and accusations by the BCCI that more than $106 million was misappropriated during his three-year tenure as IPL chairman.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011