Inaugural Lanka Premier League postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic

Sri Lanka Cricket has postponed inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League due to unavailability of top foreign players who would have had to undergo 14-day compulsory quarantine

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has postponed the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) due to unavailability of top foreign players who would have had to undergo 14-day compulsory quarantine owing to rising cases of COVID-19 in the island nation.

The T20 League was scheduled to start on August 28, subject to approval from the government and Ministry of health but the 14-day compulsory quarantine period turned out to be an issue with regards to foreign players

"We had a discussion with the health authorities and the 14 day quarantine period for anyone entering the country is compulsory. So it's difficult to play the tournament at the end of August," SLC President Shammi Silva told NewsWire.

 

"We will play the tournament in mid November after IPL," Silva's information indicated that they are looking at roping in the best T20 freelancers.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to be held in UAE from September 19 to November 10.

A total of 23 matches were scheduled in LPL which was supposed to end on September 20.

It will be played at four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium.

Five teams were named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna.

According to reports, a total of 93 international cricketers, including England's World Cup-winning pacer Liam Plunkett and New Zealand seamer Tim Southee, were also listed for the tournament.