SL sports minister to probe SLPL deal

Colombo: Sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has appointed a top level probe committee to look into the deal made by the Singapore based company, Somerset Entertainment Ventures, which promoted the aborted Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL).

Sports ministry officials said that the committee would be headed by a former police chief and would consist of the Director General of sports, legal officer of the governing body Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), a civil servant and a prominent sports administrator.

"There were queries made at the COPE committee in the Parliament that agreement with Somerset Entertainment Ventures had caused losses to SLC. So the minister wants it probed," a Sports Ministry official said on Saturday.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage has appointed a top level probe committee to look into the deal.

COPE is parliament's committee on public enterprises and SLC was shown as one of the loss making bodies in its last report.

Sri Lankan version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) ran into problems when Indian players refused to take part in the tournament.

It then converted into a domestic tournament last year with the hope that it would be revived by August this year.

SLC sources said the SLPL would be conducted with overseas players from this year as planned.

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