The Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) is planning to relaunch the Lanka Premier League (LPL) by July next year, Cricket Age reliably learns.
According to sources, the T20 competition in Sri Lanka will comprise six teams with local and foreign players. The LPL will most probably be played in the first half of July, when Sri Lanka’s international calendar is free.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) does not provide no objection certificates (NOC) to Indian (men’s) players to be involved in any other franchise-based tournaments. Despite this fact, the Sri Lankan board is keen and hopeful to rope in some Indian talent for their T20 competition.
“These are still early stages and we need to put up the processes of conducting the tournament. One area that we will certainly look at is the possibility of attracting Indian players for the event. We have a very good relationship with the BCCI and they have always supported us and we are hopeful of getting their support to make the event a success. Even if we aren’t able to attract top Indian players, the participation of uncapped Indians will help us to market the event better,” a senior SLC administrator told Cricket Age.
The previous edition of the LPL (known as SLPL then) had kicked off in 2012 and ran into immediate problems with cancellations in the next two years due to organisational issues and lack of sponsorship.
However, the current SLC administration, led by president Shammi Silva, is hopeful of a successful revival of the franchisee.
“This time, the board is well placed to successfully organise LPL in corporate manner” the senior administrator added.
