Several players yet to be paid Sri Lanka Premier League dues

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Several overseas players are yet to be paid their dues for participating in the recently concluded Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), despite tournament organisers claiming otherwise.

Tim May, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), said the Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures (SEV), the event management company responsible for the SLPL, has not been able to secure payment from a SLPL franchise who still owes as much as 50-per cent to the players more than a week after the completion of the tournament.

According to a report in the Sri Lankan daily, The Island, all payments, as stipulated in player contracts, were required to have been completed at the conclusion of each team's final match of the tournament.

"There are still a number of foreign players that are awaiting payments, 50-per cent of their total salary, from one franchise. This matter was raised recently by FICA with the organisers who are chasing the payment from the franchise. We are hopeful that it will be paid next week," May told islandcricket.lk on Friday.

May said FICA would advocate a boycott of next year's SLPL if the Sri Lankan cricket board and SEV are unable to present FICA with proof that guarantees from a lending institution have been obtained to settle players' payments if the franchisees fail to do so.

Earlier this week, SEV chairman Sandeep Bhammer told Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror newspaper that his company had 'delivered a bona fide tournament' and 'all players have been paid'.

Later, when informed of FICA's dissatisfaction over the non-presentation of bank guarantees, Bhammer told ESPNCricinfo that a 'pay order' had been provided to FICA instead of a guarantee.

"This is a complete fabrication. At no stage has any pay order [been] shown to FICA," May said, denying Bhammer's claims.