COLOMBO, Sept 20: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to meet Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials and the players, who are refusing to tour England for a Test series due to clash of dates with the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

SLC chairman Arjuna Ranatunga has written to players asking them to skip matches of IPL 2009 that coincides with the Sri Lankan tour of England, the players have contended they have already committed to play for the Indian tournament.

Discussions are on to find a middle-path to enable the Sri Lankan players signed up for IPL to tour England while at the same time participating in the matches in India wherever possible when the dates of the two do not clash.

“I will call the two sides and look into the matter,” Rajapaksa said earlier this week adding he would take up the matter after he returned from his US visit later this month.

The Sri Lankan President said he would explore the possibility of adjusting the dates so that the issue is sorted out amicably.

Ranatunga had said the tour of England would secure a payment of $2 million for the SLC which would help the governing body improve its financial position “and will go a long way in assisting the development of the game of cricket in this country.”

The SLC chief said to accommodate a request from IPL, SLC agreed to cancel a proposed tour by India to Sri Lanka in 2009 at a loss of $14 million.—Agencies