Sri Lankan Premeir League 2012 New Team Name and New Logos

Sri Lanka players agree on central contracts

          

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its players have agreed in principle to the terms of the central contracts for the next year, bringing to an end almost five months of negotiations and avoiding a potential stand-off over Sri Lanka's top players participating in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

The new contracts, which will run from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013, will bear the existing retainer and match fees, ESPNcricinfo understands.

On Monday, Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, had said the country's cricketers might decide against taking part in the SLPL if the Sri Lankan board didn't "settle" the players' central contracts. The agreement between the two sides means the players no longer have any objections to taking part in the Twenty20 tournament.

"Player contracts will be signed tomorrow or the day after," Nishanta Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday. "It has been agreed upon by the players and the board." Sri Lanka host India for five ODIs and one Twenty20 game from July 21, and Ranatunga was confident the contracts would be in place for the series.

There was a discussion about requiring the players to seek prior permission from SLC before speaking to the media, but that clause did not make it in to the final version of the contract. However, if a player does make comments considered detrimental to SLC, he could face a disciplinary committee hearing.

The contract issue follows a year in which SLC ran into financial problems after running up debts of close to $70 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the 2011 World Cup. As a result the players were not initially paid their salaries for eight months. In December 2011, 42.36% of the fees due to the players from the World Cup to September 30, 2011 were paid. The payment of US$2 million was made directly into the players' bank accounts, instead of routing it through Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), on December 16.

SLC claimed to have paid the remaining dues in March 2012 after the state-owned Bank of Ceylon agreed to release 600 million rupees (approx US$5.07 million) to the board, following discussions with sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. However, the players have not been paid since the previous contracts expired, as the new contracts are yet to be signed.

The SLPL starts on August 11, with the final to be played on August 31. SLC had released a list of 112 local players and 56 overseas players who will take part in the event. The tournament, which features seven franchises this year, will have two more the next year, covering all nine provinces.

Jayawardene, who is the icon player for the Wayamba franchise, said the focus of the tournament should be on developing the game in Sri Lanka. "While we say all good things about the tournament, let me caution everyone … While we are making financial gains, the commitment of the people involved should be to harness the talent, develop the game in the outstations, get every possible youngster involved and let them realise their dream of playing for Sri Lanka one day."

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Waqar, Moody appointed coaches in SLPL

Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has been confirmed as the coach for the Ruhuna franchise for the inaugural season of Sri Lanka Premier League, according to the organisers Somerset Entertainment Ventures Ltd. Other notable appointments include former Sri Lanka captain Duleep Mendis and Australians Tom Moody and Trevor Bayliss.

"Waqar [Younis] is one of six appointments that have been finalised regarding the coaching positions, with only Kandurata province yet to finalise who their coach will be," Sandeep Bhammer, chief executive of Somerset Entertainment Ventures Ltd, toldPakPassion.net. "We have a couple of local appointments, with Duleep Mendis coaching Basnahira and Naveed Nawaz will be head coach for Uva.

"In addition, and to add to the international flavour of the tournament, Australian's Shane Duff will be the head coach for Nagenahira, Tom Moody will coach Utuhura and Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as head coach for Wayamba."

The squads for the seven franchises were announcedon July 6. A total of 56 overseas players and 107 local players are part of the squads, giving each franchise a preliminary list of 24 players. The tournament is scheduled to start on August 10.

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SLPL 2012 Squads

SLPL squads

Uva Unicorns

Foreign Players

Chris Gayle (West Indies)

Umar Gul (Pakistan)

Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

Callum Ferguson (Australia)

James Franklin (New Zealand)

Abdur Rehman (Pakistan)

Hammad Azam (Pakistan)

Andrew McDonald (Australia)

Sri Lankan Players

Upul Tharanga

Thilina Kandamby

Sachithra Senanayake

Dilshan Munaweera

Dilhara Fernando

Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Chintaka Jayasinghe

Sameera Zoysa

Seekkuge Prasanna

Ashan Priyanjana

Vishva Fernando

Lahiru Madhushanka

Akila Ishanka

Dinesh Darshapriya

Saliya Saman

Ashen Silva

Ruhuna Rhinos

Foreign Players

                 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)                

Daniel Harris (Australia)

                   Ryan Harris (Australia)                  

Aaron Finch (Australia)

Jerome Taylor (West Indies)

Nathan McCullum (New Zealand)

    Ryan McLaren (South Africa)     

Richard Levi (South Africa)

Sr Lankan Players

Lasith Malinga

Chamara Silva

Prasanna Jayawardene

Dilruwan Perera

Ramith Rambukwella

Tharanga Lakshitha

Gihan Rupesingh

Shaluka Karunanayake

Denuwan Rajakaruna

Lahiru Thirimanne

Malinga Bandara

asun Madushanka

Dananja de Silva

Shanuka Dissanayake

Gayan Wijekoon

Chaminda Vidanapathirana

Uthura Oryxes

Foreign Players

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Dillon du Preez (South Africa)

Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe)

David Miller (South Africa)

Kevon Cooper (West Indies)

Imran Farhat (Pakistan)

Fidel Edwards (West Indies)

Samuel Badree (West Indies)

Sri lankan Players

Muttiah Muralitharan

Jehan Mubarak

Farveez Maharoof

Janak Gunaratne

Nilanka Premaratne

Mahela Udawatte

Chathura Peiris

Akalanka Ganegama

Roshen Silva

PHD Kaushalya

Sandun Weerakkody

Madra Lakmal

Sohan Boralessa

Yohan de Silva

Madushanka Ekanayake

Chamara Kapugedara

Nagenahira Nagas

Foreign Players

Mitchell Marsh (Australia)

Imran Nazir (Pakistan)

Travis Birt (Australia)

Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan)

Ben Laughlin (Australia)

Elias Sunny (Bangladesh)

Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)

Nasir Hossain (Bangladesh)

Sri Lankan Players

Nuwan Kulasekara

Angelo Mathews

Ajantha Mendis

TM Sampath

Sachith Pathirana

Suraj Randiv

Gayan Maneeshan

Chammera Dushmantha

Shaminda Eranga

Udara Jayasundera

Kanishka Alvitigala

Sajeewa Weerakoon

Andy Solomons

Ishan Jayaratne

Charith Sylvester

Angelo Perera

Wayamba Wolves

Foreign Players

Azhar Mahmood (England)

Umar Akmal (Pakistan)

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Colin Ingram (South Africa)

Kemar Roach (West Indies)

James Faulkner (Australia)

Abdul Razzaq (Pakistan)

Brad Hogg (Australia)

Sri Lankan Players

Dinesh Chandimal

Mahela Jaywardene

Isuru Udana

Kushal Janith Perera

Akhila Dhananjaya

Kaushal Weeraratne

Shehan Jayasuriya

Suranga Lakmal

Milinda Siriwardana

Chathuraga Kumara

Nimesh Perera

Chaminda Vaas

Alankara Asanka

Dashun Shanaka

Malinga Pushpakumara

Dilesh Gunaratne

Kandurata Kites

Foreign Players

Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan)

Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan)

Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan)

Chris Lynn (Australia)

Dane Vilas (South Africa)

Albie Morkel (South Africa)

Johan Botha (South Africa)

Adam Voges (Australia)

Sri Lankan Players

Kumar Sangakkara

Thilan Samaraweera

Thisara Perera

Sanath Jayasuriya

Kosala Kulasekara

Kithruwan Vithanage

Kaushal Lokuarachchi

Jeevantha Kulatunga

Malinda Warnapura

Chanaka Welegedara

Dilhara Lokuhettige

Niroshan Dikwalla

Tharanga Paranavitana

Romesh Buddika

Chintaka Perera

Kaushal Silva

Basnahira Bears

Foreign Players

Brad Hodge (Australia)

Marlon Samuels (West Indies)

Daniel Smith (Australia)

Dirk Nannes (Australia)

Robin Peterson (South Africa)

Tim Southee (New Zealand)

Clint McKay (Australia)

Cameron Borgas (Australia)

Sri Lankan Players

Tillakaratne Dilshan

Jeevan Mendis

Rangana Herath

Indika de Saram

Danushka Gunathilaka

Dhammika Prasad

Lahiru Jayaratne

Rushan Jaleel

Sachitra Serasinghe

Nuwan Pradeep

Dimuth Karunaratne

Amal Athulamudali

Sanjaya Gangodawila

Nadeehra Nawala

Thilan Tushara

Ishara Amerasinghe

Sri Lanka name 56 foreign players for SLPL

Sri Lanka Cricket has named 56 foreign players who will play in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League. There are no India or England players apart from Azhar Mahmood among the 56, who were picked by the seven franchises via a draft system in Colombo on Thursday.The list is dominated by players from Australia (18) and Pakistan (13.

The franchises' overseas 

                                                                                                                                            

(all values in US $)

Uthura:  Shakib Al Hasan (25,000), Brendan Taylor (10,000), Kevon Cooper (15,000), Imran Farhat (20,000), Fidel Edwards (20,000), David Miller (25,000), Dillon du Preez (20,000), Samuel Badree (20,000)

Nagenahira:  Mitchell Marsh (30,000), Imran Nazir (20,000), Travis Birt (25,000), Ahmed Shahzad (20,000), Ben Laughlin (20,000), Elias Sunny (12,000), Musfiqur Rahim (20,000), Nasir Hossain (16,000)

Ruhuna:  Shahid Afridi (50,000), Daniel Harris (30,000), Ryan Harris (30,000), Aaron Finch (30,000), Jerome Taylor (20,000), Nathan McCullum (25,000), Ryan McLaren (15,000), Richard Levi (25,000)

Wayamba:  Azhar Mahmood (30,000), Umar Akmal (25,000), Tamim Iqbal (18,000), Colin Ingram (20,000), Kemar Roach (25,000), James Faulkner (25,000), Abdul Razzaq (25,000), Brad Hogg (25,000)

Kandurata:  Saeed Ajmal (25,000), Misbah-ul-Haq (25,000), Sohail Tanvir (20,000), Chris Lynn (20,000), Dane Vilas (10,000), Albie Morkel (35,000), Johan Botha (25,000), Adam Voges (25,000)

Basnahira:  Brad Hodge (30,000), Marlon Samuels (30,000), Daniel Smith (20,000), Dirk Nannes (35,000), Robin Peterson (20,000), Tim Southee (25,000), Clint McKay (25,000), Cameron Borgas (20,000)

Uva:  Andrew McDonald (35,000), Umar Gul (25,000), Shoaib Malik (35,000), Callum Ferguson (30,000), James Franklin (30,000), Abdur Rehman (20,000), Hammad Azam (15,000), Chris Gayle (100,000)

Gayle and Afridi international icons for SLPL

  West Indies opener Chris Gayle and Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi, among the biggest entertainers in the Twenty20 format, have been named the two international icon players in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League that begins August 10. The presence of the duo, who will join five other Sri Lanka players as icons of their respective teams, lends the fledgling league some star power and has the potential to boost viewership.

  Gayle, who is set to play New Zealand in five ODIs and two Tests at home in a series that ends August 6, will represent the Uva province, while Afridi will play for Nagenahira, ESPNcricinfo has learned.

  Last week Sri Lanka Cricket auctioned the seven Sri Lanka Premier League teams for an average price of $4.3 million. A number of Indian companies are believed to have successfully bid for teams in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), highlighting the lure of the franchise model in cricket's largest market despite the BCCI's reluctance to allow Indian players to participate.

  Among the companies are the Wadhawan Group, a business conglomerate with interests in real estate, retail and education, India Cricket Dundee, an Indian fan organisation along the lines of the Barmy Army, and the Delhi-based Rudra Group, which also has interests in real estate.

A player draft will be conducted on July 5 and 6, with a lottery held to determine the order in which players are picked. SLC will determine the value of the contract for each player in advance and the franchises will be made aware of the cost of the player. The players will be drafted in two groups - the first consisting of players from Sri Lanka and the second, the foreign players. The draft is being seen as the best way to ensure that players are evenly distributed among the teams, making it a level playing field.

  The SLPL will run for three weeks, with the final to be held on August 31. There will be 24 games in total, split between Colombo and Pallekele. Teams will be allowed a maximum of 18 players, out of which six can be foreign players. Teams will be allowed play a maximum of four foreign players per game. Out of the remaining seven players in the XI, one must be a Sri Lanka Under-21 international.

The SLPL's icon players

•   Basnahira - Tillakaratne Dilshan

•   Kandurata - Kumar Sangakkara

•   Nagenahira - Shahid Afridi

•   Ruhuna - Lasith Malinga

•   Uthura - Muttiah Muralitharan

•   Uva - Chris Gayle

•   Wayamba - Mahela Jayawardene

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Indian companies among SLPL franchise owners

A number of Indian companies have successfully bid for teams in the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), highlighting the lure of the franchise model in cricket's largest market despite the BCCI's reluctance to allow Indian players to participate, according to reports.

Among the winners are the Wadhawan Group, a business conglomerate with interests in real estate, retail and education, India Cricket Dundee, an Indian fan organisation along the lines of the Barmy Army, and Varun Beverages Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, the agent for Pepsi in Sri Lanka.

The Wadhawan Group bought Wayamba for $5.02 million, the highest price for any of the franchises. Wayamba represented Sri Lanka in the first two Champions League T20 tournaments in 2009 and 2010 and has Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, as it's icon player. The group has been involved with cricket in the past, most notably as sponsors of the New Zealand national team, the Victoria Bushrangers and VicSpirit teams through Dheeraj East Coast, a joint venture between Dheeraj Realty, the group's real estate company, and East Coast LLC, an Australian company.

Mumbai-based India Cricket Dundee (ICD) bid $4.33 million to buy the Basnahira franchise. Formed in 2010, ICD's stated aim is to create a "widespread fan base that will be able to support the Indian cricket team all year round, whether at home or on tours away", according to their website.

Varun Beverages, based in the West Province of Sri Lanka, won the rights to the Nagenahira franchise for $ 3.22 million, the lowest price for a franchise. The company is a subsidiary of RJ Corp, which includes InBev India International Private Limited, which distributes beers such as Stella Artois and Budweiser in India. The group also runs the Delhi Public School in Gurgaon.

Kandurata was the second most expensive team at $4.98 million and was picked up by Number One Sports Consulting Private Limited. The Uva and Ruhuna franchises were bought by Success Sports and Pearl Overseas respectively for $4.6 million each, while Rudra Sports Private Limited picked up Uthura for $3.4 million. The news was reported in the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror.

A player draft will be held on July 5 and 6 to determine the composition of the teams. Each team can have a maximum of 18 players, including six foreign players. The SLPL starts on August 10, with the final to be held on August 31. There will be 24 games in total, split between Colombo and Pallekele.

The SLPL franchise owners

·         Wayamba - Wadhawan Holdings Private Limited, $5.02 million

·         Kandurata - Number One Sports Consulting Private Limited, $4.98 million

·         Ruhuna - Pearl Overseas Limited, $4.6 million

·         Uva Success Sports Private Limited, $4.6 million

·         Basnahira -Indian Cricket Dundee Limited, $4.33 million

·         Uthura - Rudra Sports Private Limited, $3.4 million

·         Nagenahira - Varun Beverages Lanka Private Limited, $3.22 million

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