Sri Lanka Cricket to confirm fixtures after decision on India series: SLC has expressed confidence in hosting a T20 competition next month.
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Sri Lanka Cricket is upbeat about hosting the inaugural season of Lanka Premier League next month citing the country’s improved status around the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the five-team T20 league slated to be played between August 8-22 after receiving the nod from Sports Ministry, it might face a some delay as the earlier mentioned date of opening the international border had been postponed from August 1.
In a recent conversation with ESPNcricinfo, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva opined about speaking to the concerned authority with respect to allowing foreign players entry into the country from August 1.
“We’re hoping to speak to His Excellency [president Gotabaya Rajapaksa] and see if we can come to a decision. Sri Lanka has done very well in containing the coronavirus as opposed to other countries in the region, and as such we have had a lot of interest from foreign players in taking part in the tournament,” de Silva told ESPNcricinfo.
With cinema halls also reopening in Sri Lanka, SLC has reasons to be confident with respect to LPL 2020. It is worth mentioning that Sri Lankan players were among the firsts to officially resume training in the form of residential training camps in Colombo.
Sri Lanka Cricket to confirm fixtures after decision on India series
SLC has made a provision for each team to have a maximum of six players in the squad and four in their Playing XI. Players will be bought by the five franchises via an auction much like the Indian Premier League.
Other than the reopening of airports, SLC are also waiting an update on the limited-over series against India before confirming LPL 2020 fixtures. Originally scheduled to be began in June, the series was postponed citing threat from the COVID-19 outbreak.
While it was reported that India would travel to Sri Lanka in August, a BCCI official had opened up on the indecision regarding the tour. India, who last toured Sri Lanka in 2017, is likely to aid SLC in reaping monetary benefits provided the series goes ahead.
Being asked about the fixtures, de Silva sounded to be keeping all options open. Ideally expected to be played in a double round-robin format, the tournament might be converted into a single round-robin one if India decides to tour after LPL 2020.
“At the moment we’re looking at 23 games, but if India agrees to play then it will most probably come down to 13,” de Silva added. Apart from the India series, Sri Lanka have also lost the opportunity to host England and Bangladesh due to coronavirus.
