Sri Lanka Orders IPL Players Back Home by May 5

Mumbai: The club versus country row has flared up again. Sri Lankan cricketers who are involved in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League have been ordered back home for training ahead of next month's tour of England.

Sri Lanka will be touring the UK for a 63-day tour involving three Tests and five ODIs in England and an ODI each against Scotland and Ireland in Edinburgh.

Sports minister Mahinadananda Althugamage said he wanted team members to prioritize the national side over the IPL. "In future, national cricket players can participate in foreign tournaments only in a manner that will not affect practices of the Sri Lankan national team," the ministry said.

Eleven Lankan players are involved in the IPL at the moment, including two captains - Kumar Sangakkara (Deccan Chargers) and Mahela Jayawardene (Kochi Tuskers Kerala).

"All the players will have to report to Colombo by May 5. That is when we start the camp for the England tour. The team will depart for England on May 11," DS De Silva, chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket said.

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