Sangakkara, Jayawardene also for an early exit

Colombo (PTI): After the reports of Sri Lankan skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan leaving the IPL to join the England-bound national team got rife, it is learned that former captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene are also packing their bags for an early exit.

Sangakara and Jayawardene, who are currently in-charge of the Deccan Chargers and Kochi Tuskers Kerala respectively, will reportedly leave the Indian Premier League (IPL) early to start preparations for the first Test against England on 26 May.

According to ‘The Island’, both the players are expected be in Colombo by the 16 May and will leave the island a day later to join the squad for the second warm-up game scheduled for 19 May against England Lions at Derby.

The newspaper also reported that both players have received the necessary consent of their franchises to make an early exit.

The newly appointed skipper, meanwhile, is expected join the national squad before it takes-off to England on the 10 May.

Kochi looks the better team ahead of clash with Chargers

Kochi Tusker's good run, where they got the better of three top teams was halted by Rajasthan Royals but they still have the upper hand when they face Deccan Chargers at home in Kochi on Wednesday. Deccan are currently at the bottom of the points table with just two wins from their six games.

Among the Charges problems is the lack of consistency. All their batsman and bowlers have had one or two decent performances, but haven't been able to show the dependability required. Even the world's best fast bowler is who is among their ranks - Dale Steyn - has been patchy - his last outing against Mumbai giving away 39 runs in 4 overs without any wicket. The batting needs to gel together as a unit and come up with a couple of match-winning knocks if they want to move up the charts.

Mini Battles: Sangakkara vs Jayawardene

They're two former Sri Lankan captains who have spent most of their careers batting together and consider themselves to be good friends. They both have played under each other's captaincy and know exactly how what the other will be thinking. That's why in Wednesday's match-up it will be fascinating to see who manages to bring something unexpected to the table and outwit the other.