Sri Lanka could be without several of their star names for next year's tour of England due to the Indian Premier League.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Tuesday that the Sri Lankans will play two Tests and three one-day internationals in April and May 2009.

However the tour, added to the calendar due to the cancellation of the series against Zimbabwe, could see the visitors arrive without some of their leading players.

The dates clash with the second season of the IPL, meaning the likes of captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sanath Jayasuriya could all be missing.

Currently the players are locked in a contract dispute with the Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee over new annual contracts.

None of the current team have signed deals and have not been paid since February, with the issue set to come to a head before the start of the home series against India.

But the board, headed by World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, are confident of coming to an agreement next week.

"There are a few things to be ironed out," Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive officer Duleep Mendis was quoted as saying in the Colombo-based Daily Mirror.

"There are a few differences between the board and the players but we should reach an agreement by next week."