Several players of Sri Lanka will return to playing cricket after the Covid-19 pandemic when the PDC (Puttalam District Cricket Association) T10 league starts on June 25.
The 12-day-long tournament will be played at the historic and world heritage site Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, and will comprise former cricketers including the likes of Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Silva, Nuwan Kulasekara, Asela Gunarathna, Dhammika Prasad, Sachithra Senanayake, Chamara Kapugedra, Thilan Thushara and Ishara Amerasinghe as confirmed players. The names of more players are expected to be revealed soon.
The tournament will include a total of eight teams, namely – Hurricane Blasters, Spartan Heroes, Power Gladiators, Chillow Warriors, Puttlum Stars, Global Riders, Royal Lions and Giant Legends. These will be divided into two groups, with each team playing a total of nine group games and one against a team from the other group.
The group stage will be played in the round-robin league format which will be followed by the qualifiers and eliminator games before playing the all-important final. The tournament shall be preceded by a jersey launch event scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka has lost out on hosting a couple of high-profile cricket series. In March, England’s two-Test tour of Sri Lanka was postponed after the ECB requested for it due to the growing threat of the virus. Last week, India’s tour of Sri Lanka was also called off, an assignment that should have seen India played three ODIs and three T20Is starting June end and continuing till July.
Earlier this month, a group of 13 Sri Lankan cricketers, comprising mostly bowlers, resumed training. The coaching and support staff overseeing the training of the players consists of a four-member unit and all players strictly adhere to the health regulations imposed by the government in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
