Sri Lanka cricket board assures integrity of SLPL

Colombo, July 21 (IANS) The Sri Lankan cricket board Saturday assured the integrity of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), a cricket league based on the Indian Premier League (IPL), to be staged in the country next month.

The board's media manager Ranjith Fernando said that the SLPL will be conducted according to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct, reports Xinhua.

Fernando added that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had introduced a competitive bidding process in order to ensure transparency and obtain the highest possible value for each franchise involved.

Concerns were raised by the local media earlier about the franchise holders who own the seven teams representing seven provinces in the country and consisting of local and international players who will partake in the 21-day tournament.

Fernando said that under the franchise agreement a franchisee cannot be engaged in gaming and betting activities and they are required to have sufficient financial resources to meet their commitments to the cricket board and the players.

"Sri Lanka Cricket has taken all possible precautions to ensure that the franchisees are persons who would be mandated to adhere strictly to the guidelines laid down in order to have a successful tournament. In this whole process, what has been fundamental to Sri Lanka Cricket is to maintain the integrity of the tournament and of the franchisees themselves," he said.

The tournament will not have any Indians taking part as a result of restrictions imposed by the Indian cricket board.