SLC is positive for hosting LPL:
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) remains positive for the Lankan Premier League (LPL), which is scheduled to be held on 28th August although approvals from the Sri Lanka government are yet to come by less than three weeks from the scheduled date.
Now SLC has found a tournament organizer, however signing a deal of five years with the Innovative Production Group (IPG), which is a Dubai-based company and previously it involved in Pakistan Super League (PSL) production along with broadcasts. According to the deal, now it is the responsibility of IPG to find out franchises for the LPL teams, and also secure the sponsorship, as well as to conduct an LPL draft. As per the officials, nearly 70 players from outside countries have expressed their keen interest to participate in LPL.
Now the main difficult thing is the quarantine period of overseas players. Until next week squads are not due to be confirmed, which means cricketers are not arriving more than 10 days ahead from the starting date. Now, the players who will arrive in Sri Lanka are expected to stay a minimum of 1 week in quarantine, which means cricketers would have only a couple of days preparation time with the teams.
Ravin Wickramaratne, the vice-president of SLC told “ We are all set to begin the tournament on 28th August, but there are a few areas where we will need to consult with the health authorities. By 13th August, they will provide all the necessary health guidelines. We had some meetings with the health authorities. The players have to stay in a mandatory 1 week quarantine period. Then they can join their team. We are looking to see whether overseas players can come or not. We have to wait for guidance from the health authorities.”
