Sanga clears air on his return to Sri Lanka

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Deccan Chargers captain Kumar Sangakkara has said that he had been allowed by the Sri Lankan cricket board to stay on at the IPL till May 16.

“We have been allowed to stay till then but after the match on May 16 we don’t have another one until May 21,” said Sanga on the eve of the Tuskers’ match in Kochi.

The Lankan said players in the IPL should be given the opportunity to choose. “In Sri Lanka we have a player association but, it is a shame that the board does not recognise that,” he added.

“I believe, the board must reach an agreement with the BCCI regarding the IPL schedule so that it can be made hassle-free,” said the skipper.

In a separate press conference, Tuskers’ captain Mahela Jayawardene said he had not decided when to join the Lankan tour.

Sangakkara said it would be fun playing the Kochi Tuskers’ who had a number of Lankans including Jayawardene, all-rounder Thissera Perera and off-spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan.

“Every game is a must- win and we have to go into the game and try to not commit the same mistakes we did against Mumbai,” said the Chargers’ leader.

“Kochi Tuskers have been playing really good. But they are also coming off a bad game against Rajasthan. For us it is all about us and what we can do best,” added Sanga.

For his part, Jayawardene emphasised that for him, the upcoming game was not against Sanga or any other individual, but, against another franchise.

On the chances of playing the injured McCullum for the Chargers’ game, Mahela just said that he was doing fine. “But, we have not thought about the playing XI, which we decide based on the opposition,” added the Tuskers’ captain, in the presence of coach Geoff Law son.

Mahela also said that he did not feel the toss or even the possibilities of playing under overcast conditions would play a major role as it does anywhere else in the country.