Sri Lanka Cricket has announced yet another milestone date in the run-up to the inaugural Lanka Premier League. The player auction has been announced for October 1.
“The player auction of the LPL will be held on October 1,” the board said in a statement.
The 150-strong player pool will feature leading professional cricketers from the West Indies, including the Caribbean Premier League champion team Trinbago Knight Riders’ star Darren Bravo, St Lucia Zouks skipper Darren Sammy, and one of the most furious T20 batsmen – Universe Boss Chris Gayle.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was also named in the player pool earlier before the launch dates of SLC’s ambitious project were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The player pool will also include former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi and New Zealand’s T20 specialist Colin Munro.
Each of the five teams – to represent the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna – can pick up to a maximum of six overseas players. The five teams will consist of 30 international cricketers and 65 local players.
The first edition of the Lanka Premier League, a new avatar of the Sri Lanka Premier League which was shelved after the only season in 2012, has been scheduled from November 14 to December 6.
One of the five teams has been acquired by the Pakistan Super League franchisee Quetta Gladiators owners. The team will be called Galle Gladiators.
A majority of the international players will be flying in directly from the UAE, where the Indian Premier League 2020 final is slated for November 10. SLC has urged the Sri Lanka Government to reduce the quarantine period for the players who will be coming directly from a biosecure bubble.
The COVID-19 protocol in the Island Nation makes a 14-day quarantine mandatory for those flying in from overseas.
Sri Lanka has seen no competitive cricket since March 13 when the visiting England team had decided to abandon the tour on the second day of their practice match. Ever since South Africa and Bangladesh have called off their scheduled tours of Sri Lanka.