Sri Lanka all set to launch their own T20 league again

The success of the T20 leagues across the world is quite evident. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) yielding great success, the other nations are also considering launching their own T20 leagues. Among the latest to join the list is the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The Sri Lankan board is keen on launching a T20 league of their own this year. It is worth noting that when the IPL had commenced over a decade ago, it had drawn a lot of attention.

Watching the success of the league, several other leagues have sprung up ever since. The likes of Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, and Pakistan Super League have all found good success following the footsteps of the Indian Premier League.

SLPL had a premature ending

Not many know that the Sri Lankan board was one of the first nations to have adopted the plan of having their own league. Almost half a decade ago, the Sri Lanka Cricket had announced their own league named as the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL), which became popular for a serious injury to Rilee Rossouw. Much to the disappointment of the fans and the organizers, the event could not fetch a lot of attention.

The matches were greeted with sparse crowds and the turnouts for the big games were not great either. Moreover, many of the marquee players did not feature in the league, which certainly took away the charm that the league had earlier produced. Furthermore, the match fixing scandal and the corrupt administration forced a premature end to the tournament.

But now, after almost six years, Sri Lanka is set to have their T20 league. Reportedly, the SLC released an official press release confirming the news. The new league will be named as ‘Lankan Premier League’ (LPL). The tournament will be played in the month of August and September this year. The board is planning to have 6 teams in the fixtures, with each team playing 10 first round matches. Each team to play two matches with every other team.

“The tournament will be known as “Lankan Premier League (LPL)’’, and will be played from 18th August to 10th September, 2018,” said the CEO of the Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Ashley De Silva.

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