MUMBAI: Softening its stance towards Sri Lanka Premier League, the Indian cricket board has said it is open to allowing its players to participate in the tournament.

BCCI president N Srinivasan has said that the cricket board would examine the request by SLC once the proposal comes to the table.

"Last time around, there were specific reasons why the BCCI could not support the tournament. And we informed the Sri Lankan board at that time. This time, if there are any proposals made, we will examine it. And we have to be satisfied that the doubts and problems we had last time will not continue," Srinivasan said.

The SLPL, which will be played from 10-31 August at Colombo and Pallekele, had failed to take off last year due BCCI?s refusal to allow Indian players in the tournament thereby hurting the tournament?s commercial viability in the Indian market.

Last time around, the BCCI had contended that the contract with SEV, the commercial rights holder of SLPL, does not safeguard the financial interests of the Indian players.

The BCCI also suspected that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had interests in SLPL, a charge that was vehemently denied by both SEV and SLC.

The first edition of SLPL Twenty20 will feature seven provincial teams who will play a total of 24 matches with a compulsory ruling of no more than six overseas players in each squad.

The seven teams for SLPL are Basnahira Bears, Kandurata Kites, Nagenahira Nagas, Ruhuna Rhinos, Uthura Oryxes, Uva Unicorns, and Wayamba Wolves.

However, teams can field only four overseas players in the playing 11, while the remaining seven players will be Sri Lankans, with one player mandatorily being an under-21 cricketer.

All the matches of SLPL will be televised live, with Carlton Sports Network broadcasting the matches in the home market of Sri Lanka. CSN is reportedly owned by family members of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president of Sri Lanka.

MUMBAI: Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC), the governing body of cricket in the country, has signed a fresh deal with Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures for its ambitious franchise based T20 league that had failed to take off last year.

As per the new deal, the tournament will be held between 10-31 August ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September, according to ESPNCricinfo.

SEV had entered into a five-year deal with SLC to acquire the commercial rights of SLPL, but the deal became void as the interim committee of SLC that had signed the deal was replaced.

The new deal also addresses concerns raised by a Committee on Public Enterprises report regarding some of the clauses in the contract. The agreement has been cleared by the office of the Sri Lankan attorney general.

The inaugural edition of the SLPL was supposed to be held from 19 July to 4 August but it did not take-off due to Indian cricket board?s reluctance to grant NoC to its players to participate in the league.

The BCCI had at that time contended that the contract with SEV does not safeguard the financial interests of the Indian players. The BCCI also suspected that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi had interests in SLPL, a charge that was vehemently denied by both SEV and SLC.

As for the format of the event, the SLPL will have seven teams who will play each other in a round-robin format followed by semi-finals and finals. The games are expected to be played at Colombo and Kandy.

MUMBAI: Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi will be appealing against the High Court of London?s verdict in the libel case filed against him by ex-New Zealand captain Chris Cairns.

Modi has to lodge papers by 20 April. Modi lost a libel case to Cairns and was asked to pay 90,000 pounds in damages to the all-rounder.

Cairns had sued Modi over a tweet in which the latter accused the New Zealander of being involved in match-fixing during the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008.

Meanwhile, Modi criticised the opening ceremony of the IPL held last night that had the likes of Katy Perry performing. He tweeted: "So according to IPL fans ? nearly 100% have Tweeted they would have preferred Pre Game Opening Ceremony rather than an opening like today. Can?t bear to watch it anymore ? as on TV it looks appalling. Was really looking forward to seeing something well presented. I am sure the Ratings will show."

MUMBAI: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has lost libel case against former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns and as a consequence has to pay : ?90,000 in damages, according to to a London High Court order.

Modi will now have to pay up a part of the damages within the next 28 days and has until 20 April to file an appeal. The court also refused to entertain his plea for a stay on the damages.

Cairns, who was captain of Chandigarh Lions in the now defunct Indian Cricket League, had his contract terminated in October 2008, on allegations of breach of terms of his contract by failing to disclose an ankle injury.

As IPL chairman Modi had alleged that Cairns was involved in match fixing while justifying the decision to keep Cairns out of the league following which the cricketer sued Modi.

Cairns contended that the match-fixing allegation put a strain on his marriage as well.

MUMBAI: In a major setback for former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, a London court has declared him bankrupt over unpaid bills of 65,000 pounds (approximately Rs. 5.3 million) owed to private security firm, Page Group, through an order it passed last month.

The international securities and risk assessment company has claimed that Modi owes fees for security services it provided to him and his family in 2010.

Stuart Page, the company?s chairman, said: "It?s unfortunate that we have come to this situation but Modi has given us no other option. We gave Modi a number of security services in relation to threats made against him and his family. We submitted a number of invoices which were not paid. Our attempts to reach a settlement with Modi were to no avail and we were forced to take the action we have taken."

Modi in his defence said, "Until the order was served, I was completely unaware of any outstanding monies. I have not seen any previous demands but since it came to my attention, I?ve even offered to lodge the sum being claimed with the court pending clarity. But for some reason, that was refused, by the company concerned."

The former IPL chairman, though, feels that it is an attempt to gain cheap publicity by the securities firm. "It is a ridiculous waste of everyone?s time and I can only assume it is being done in an attempt to gain some sort of publicity at my expense. Any suggestion that this order means I am unable to pay is equally ridiculous," Modi said.

A hearing will be held in London shortly when Modi will attempt to have the order set aside.

MUMBAI: In a development that will surely have deep implications, Sahara Group has announced its withdrawal from all cricketing activities including Team Indian sponsorship and IPL franchise Pune Warriors India.

The announcement was made before the commencement of the IPL player?s auction in which the Pune Warriors India did not participate.

Sahara has given several reasons for its decision to opt out of cricket but the main trigger is believed to be the BCCI?s decision to disallow the franchise to use the price of Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of IPL season 5.0, in today?s auction purse.

It also pointed out that under similar circumstances, the BCCI promoted Champions League T20 rules were bended for Mumbai Indians when they were allowed to bring in replacements for their injured players. Sahara feels that this peculiar situation of Singh is silent in the rule book because it probably talks only about players who are temporarily injured.

"Incidentally, once during the Champion?s League tournament, one of the Indian IPL teams had a lot of injured players so they were rightly, out of natural justice, allowed to break the rules and take one extra foreign player. We appreciated this natural justice," Sahara said in statement.

Sahara also noted that its first entry into IPL was thwarted in 2008 when it was disqualified, owing to a small technicality on the whims and fancies of BCCI.

It further pointed out that when the company had bought the Pune franchise for $370 million, it was promised that there would be 94 matches in the IPL which was later reduced to 74 matches. Despite reducing the number of matches, the BCCI did not reduce franchise fee.

"We are still pursuing continuously with the BCCI to refund the extra bid money proportionately. It has been denied on the basis of strict rules," it added.

Sahara was also unhappy with the fact that BCCI did not go for an open auction which did not give the two new franchises - Pune and Kochi - a level playing field.

"In the interest of the tournament, we repeatedly tried our best to pursue the BCCI for open auction of all players so that we achieve level playing field and all teams are equally balanced from the quality players? point of view. Again, as per BCCI?s strict rules it was denied and again, we were deprived of natural justice. 12 of the best players were retained by the existing teams then," the statement averred.

On the sponsorship front, it says that will continue for a few months as the BCCI will take time to find another sponsor.

Sahara?s fresh four-year sponsorship contract for the national team, pegged at $115 million, runs through to December 2013.

"We really feel such one-sided emotional relationship cannot be dragged any further. We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI/ However, we don?t want to give any problem to the BCCI and we also feel that the players should not suffer.

"BCCI will definitely take 2-4 months to get a new sponsor and we will continue paying the sponsorship money till then. All other IPL team players, coaches and other such associates will definitely get their due this year, in case they do not get a chance to play," the statement said.

Meanwhile, former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has blamed BCCI president N Srinivasan?s arrogant style of functioning for the current mess in IPL Sahara Group?s pulling out of the league.

"Sahara termination - shows how unhappy the major sponsor and franchise owner is with the way BCCI deals with its partners. This is really a sad day. Sahara has been sports biggest supporter and pillar," Modi wrote on his twitter page.

"It?s a black day for Indian Cricket. All due to One ego maniac. Wonder how we allow that to continue. It will ruin cricket completely," read another tweet.

"All I can say is that whenever sports was in trouble - we could always count on Sahara being there. They were one solid company one could always bank on coming thru," he added.

"When another Team owner is a state association president, BCCI president and just showed that he controls ICC thru his clout. And does things only in favour of himself. This was bound to happen."

Laying the blame of shunning BCCI sponsors and partners at Srinivasan?s door, Modi said the current president had no moral authority to continue.

"BCCI President needs to go. He has no concept of taking people along. The Fans, Players, Sponsors, Franchisee owners, are the people who make us what we are. And they need to be listened too. Not shunned away," he added.

"BCCI has made all posts redundant in BCCI and want to do the same in ICC. They want only one door to be opened for cricket. That door has a Plate on it - N Srinivasan. Owner CSK, president TNCA, President BCCI, controller ICC," he added.