Lankan Premier League slated for August and September
What's the story?
The latest in a string of domestic T20 leagues, the Lankan Premier League (LPL) has been scheduled to take place between August 18 and September 10. However, those dates mean that it would be clashing with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and the T20 Blast hosted by England at the same time of the year.
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With Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) trying to fit in their own franchise-based T20 competition at a time when the calendar would be free from any other such events, the ideal time that they could find was August and September.
In 2012, the cricket board had hosted a similar T20 tournament, called the Sri Lankan Premier League, though it failed to attract the attention and the popularity which the organisers had hoped it would.
The heart of the matter
With the Indian Premier League (IPL) consuming nearly two months of the calendar year, and with the Big Bash League (BBL) and other T20 competitions in New Zealand and South Africa taking place towards the end of the year, it is perhaps inevitable that the LPL would clash with the CPL. While the CPL will run from August 8 to September 16, domestic cricket in England will be held throughout the proposed dates of the LPL.
What's next?
As far as the matter of luring international stars is concerned, the Sri Lanka board may have to remain content with players from Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand, teams expected to not be engaged in any international cricket during that period. But Pakistan's cricketers might also make it to the league, especially if their scheduled tour to Zimbabwe is called off with the potential hosts facing a cash crunch.
Author's take
With T20 leagues floating around the globe all across the year, the scheduling for international cricket always becomes a challenge, especially considering the unstoppable following of the shortest format that attracts audiences from all across the globe.