Sri Lankan players reach central contract agreement with SLC – Cricket News Update
Following a five-month period of negotiations, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its players have reached an agreement regarding the terms for new central contracts.
“Player contracts will be signed tomorrow or the day after,” SLC secretary Nishanta Ranatunga confirmed in a conversation with
ESPNcricinfo. “It has been agreed upon by the players and the board.”
The new contracts are based on the existing retainer and match fees, and are valid from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. Ranatunga has stated that the new contracts are likely to be in place before India’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, which kicks off on
July 21 and features five ODIs and one T20I match.
The agreement averts a potential stand-off between the board and the players regarding the Lankan cricketers’ participation in the upcoming inaugural edition of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 Premier League (SLPL), scheduled to commence on August 11 and conclude on August
31.
Skipper of the national team, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DPMD-Jayawardene-c1397, had initially stated that the Sri Lankan players would refuse to participate in the T20 event if the board did not ensure that the negotiations regarding central contracts reached an official settlement.
“We will only sign SLPL contracts once the central contracts of Sri Lanka players are settled,” Jayawardene said while speaking at the launch of the SLPL.
The players had previously gone 8 months without their salaries last year, when the SLC found itself under debts of up to $70 million following the renovation of the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the construction of two new international stadiums in
Pallekele and Hambantota. Similarly, the players had been going without pay since their last contracts expired, with negotiations for new deals still hanging in the air.
However, with the issue having reached a settlement, the players are free to participate in the upcoming SLPL. The event will feature 7 franchises in its first edition, with two more to be added next year, in order to cover all nine Sri Lankan provinces.
The board has released a list of 112 local players and 56 overseas who are due to play in the tournament, but the budget for the upcoming event is yet to be finalised.
“We are yet to estimate the cost. We are working out the budget,” said Nuski Mohammed, SLC's treasurer. “I don't think there will be a big cost. It'll be a very marginal net cost.”
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