NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka's sports minister has failed to persuade India's cricket board to revise its ban on players participating in the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League, a report said Friday. Mahindananda Aluthgamage took part in a telephone conference Thursday with officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Mumbai-based Daily News and Analysis said. “We made an attempt to convince them, but the BCCI told us that it cannot reverse its stand,” the newspaper quoted the minister as saying. “It is their decision and we cannot force them to change,” he added. Fast bowlers Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel were among 12 Indian players who had sought permission to play in the T20 tournament in Sri Lanka starting in mid-July. The BCCI had initially indicated that Indian players could participate, but changed its mind amid media reports that the tournament was being organised by a Singapore-based company with alleged links to Lalit Modi, the sacked former boss of the Indian Premier League. Although disappointed by India's position, Aluthgamage denied any damaging rift over the dispute. “The BCCI continues to be our friend,” he said.
