NEW DELHI, April 15: Retired spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan slammed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for asking its players to return home midway through the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a tour to England, saying the No Objection Certificate had permitted them to play till May 20. “I think the board (SLC) has given them permission till May 20. I don’t know what happened suddenly. The players were told to come on May 5. It is the fault of SLC because they signed the NOC till May 20 so if they change it to May 5 it is something wrong,” Muralitharan, who quit international cricket after Sri Lanka’s defeat to India in the World Cup final early this month, said.

“Players will get demoralised because if they go back on May 5 they play half of the IPL and they are going to miss a lot.

SLC should have informed the players earlier, then the IPL franchises would understand and everyone would understand,” he said. Muralitharan said that the incident could spark “friction” between cricket boards of the two countries and SLC would lose a lot financially if it antagonises the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI).

“There’ll be a little bit of friction between the board (SLC) and the players and even the Indian Cricket Board. If the SLC is not going to support they are going to miss a lot from India, because when India tours Sri Lanka it is very important and if we are not playing in the Champions League Twenty20 we are going to lose some money. Friendship between India and Sri Lanka will be negative,” he said.

“We have $25 million of debt after World Cup. You don’t have to antagonise India because when India comes only we make money and survive, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. “It might get sorted. These things happen between countries but in the end financially we depend on India, whatever said and done. SLC will have to be careful,” he told a news channel.

Meanwhile, Deccan Chargers captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Friday he will not rush back home immediately and will be continued playing in the the IPL till first week of May.

“Yes, we have been informed about the call but it is not going to happen immediately. I am not going back, at least not before May 5,” Sangakara says.

While things are finally beginning to look upbeat on the IPL front, one cannot ignore the call of duty,” he admits. “See, it is up to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to decide when they want us to be in Sri Lanka. All I know is that the England tour involving Tests and ODIs are in the end of May, so we are not needed anytime soon. But we will have to go as and when they ask us to.”

Popularly called Sledgehammer Kumar for his power-packed knocks, Sangakara’s absence might create a vacuum in the team. Who is the next one capable of filling his shoes? “Well, this is T20 cricket and there are so many capable and young players. Anybody can take on my responsibility, I don’t see the need to name one,” the captain modestly said.

The fact that the Sri Lankan players are called back has created the need to make some last-minute changes in Team Bagalore too. And captain Daniel Vettori doesn’t deny the fact. When asked if he is looking for a replacement for Tillakaratne Dilshan, he says, “It is difficult to replace Dilshan as he is one of the finest batsmen we have. But with Sri Lankans being recalled back, we have to look for a replacement, which we are doing.”—Agencies