The second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) has been postponed due to the unavailability of foreign players. The tournament was earlier scheduled to begin from July 30.
InsideSport.co quoted Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as confirming that the second edition of the LPL will not go ahead as scheduled as of now. According to the report, an official announcement by SLC is expected soon.
An SLC official was quoted as telling the website:
“It is unfortunate that the tournament will have to be postponed. Be it Bangladesh, the West Indies, Pakistan or England players – none of them are available at this stage. Right now the new dates for the league are undecided, SLC will check the feasibility in next few weeks.”
LPL has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent times. The contracts of two franchises, Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking, were terminated for breach of contract last month.
As per the latest reports, SLC has also terminated the contract of the Jaffna franchise. While nothing official has been announced yet, a Cricbuzz report claimed that SLC and LPL organizers have decided to terminate the contract of Jaffna Stallions over non-compliance of contractual terms. Ironically, Jaffna Stallions won the inaugural edition of the LPL last year.
Packed cricketing calendar puts SLC in a tight spot over LPL 2
While the second edition of the LPL has only been postponed as of now, SLC will find it extremely difficult to reschedule the tournament due to the crammed cricketing schedule ahead.
Having returned from England, following a thrashing in the limited-overs series, Sri Lanka will next take on India in a white-ball series at home from July 13 to 25.
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will be held from August 25 to September 15 in Saint Kitts and Nevis. The second half of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 will then be held in the UAE in September-October. Just a few days after the conclusion of the IPL, the T20 World Cup will be held in the UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14. An SLC official admitted to InsideSport.co:
“We understand the calendar is completely packed, we will see if we can get some space. It’s too early to talk about it. The board will decide the way forward along with the organizers.”
The first edition of the LPL was also marred by big names pulling out. After being initially postponed due to COVID-19, it was eventually held in Hambantota from November 26 to December 16, 2020. Jaffna Stallions beat Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final to lift the trophy.