Due to rival cricket events or series scheduled for the initial window, the Lanka Premier League has been postponed until at least late November. The LPL’s second season was planned to take place from July 30 to August 22.
The announcement of the Kashmir Premier League (set to run from August 6 to 17), the CPL (which requires players to be available from August 12), the ECB’s The Hundred (which runs from July 21 to August 21), and another possible international series involving Bangladesh have forced the LPL tournament organisers to rethink their timing, according to tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne.
The LPL’s inaugural season featured a large number of Pakistani players, although clubs were occasionally unable to field four foreign players. The Sri Lankan league would be severely hampered if Pakistani and West Indian players were unavailable.
On the franchise front, the LPL is likewise putting out flames. Dambulla Viiking and Colombo Kings, two of the five franchises who competed last year, have been formally dropped from the second season.
According to tournament organisers, a third franchise, the Jaffna Stallions, is likewise on thin ice. They allege that the proprietors of the Stallions have not provided the ICC with the Know Your Client (KYC) information that franchisees are obliged to give in order to be verified, and that the franchise has also not paid the tournament organisers on time. Meanwhile, the Stallions claim they have been hesitant to pay the league due to the uncertainty surrounding the second edition’s release date. Last year’s event had been won by the Stallions.
If the event is rescheduled for November, it will take place shortly after the T20 World Cup. It also implies that the island’s north-east monsoon will most likely be active. Last year’s version was also held in November, although the weather only impeded it on a few occasions.