Cricket: No IPL matches in Sri Lanka

CHENNAI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) released its 2012 tournament schedule yesterday, confirming that no matches will be played in Sri Lanka despite a request from the island's cricket authorities. Upali Dharmadasa, the new president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), said earlier this week that he had asked the Indian board to hold some IPL matches on the island to raise money for SLC. However, no Sri Lankan city features in the 76-match schedule of the Twenty20 event, which will begin on April 4. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, which owns the IPL, did not say why Sri Lanka's request was rejected.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2012.