Lanka Premier League, CPL set to begin in August
The inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League will will get underway on August 28. This will be Sri Lanka's first major T20 tournament since 2012. Meanwhile, the schedule of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has also been announced. West Indies' premier T20 tournament is set to run from August 18 to September 10. Here is more on the same.
Key details of Lanka Premier League
According to primary discussions, the Lanka Premier League will feature a total of 23 games. As many as five teams are set to compete in the tournament, while over 70 international players and 10 "top notch" coaches have confirmed their participation. Notably, the title holder is due to close on July 30. The schedule for the same will be announced soon by the organizers.
The proposed venues for conducting the league
All the games will be played in Sri Lanka across four D/N international stadiums - Khettarama, Sooriyawewa, Pallekele and Dambulla. The action will move from one venue to another as the tournament progresses. Although the five teams will be named after five cities - Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Dambulla and Kandy, the teams will not have a designated base venue.
The framework will be drawn up soon
Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva asserted the board has little information about how foreign players and coaches can be brought to Sri Lanka. Besides, the guidelines relating to quarantine are yet to be ascertained. SLC could also finalize a tournament sponsor by July 30. Moreover, the cricket board is hopeful the Sri Lankan government will duly assist with logistics.
The inaugural LPL season was called-off
The Lanka Premier League was set to be inaugurated in 2018, but insufficient interest led to its cancelation. SLC only managed to host the tournament in 2012, which was also marred, owing to poor crowds and corruption rumors.
CPL to kick off on August 18
The 2020 edition of Caribbean Premier League is set to kick off on August 18 with three-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders taking on Guyana Amazon Warriors. The tournament, which comprises 33 games, will be concluded on September 10. All the matches will be played behind closed doors, under a bio-secure environment in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Two venues to host the entire tournament
The T20 tournament will be staged across two different venues in Trinidad and Tobago. While the Brian Lara Cricket Academy will host 23 games (including the semi-finals and final), the Queen's Park Oval will play host to ten games. The two semi-finals are slated for September 8 with the summit clash to be held two days later.
'The standard of CPL will be higher than ever'
CPL CEO Damien O'Donohoe believes the tournament will raise the bar this time. "This year will be a different CPL, but the standard will be higher. We have seen the appetite for live sport since it has returned after a prolonged absence, and the interest in CPL will be higher than ever with it being the first franchise T20 tournament to return," he said.
