Lanka Premier League’s draft consists of 93 international cricketers so far and includes Liam Plunkett, Tim Southee, Mohammed Hafeez, and Dwayne Smith and will also include a pool of 130 local players available for selection to be a part of the first edition of LPL.
A total of 93 international cricketers which includes England’s 2019 World Cup-winning seamer Liam Plunkett and New Zealand pacer Tim Southee have been listed for participation in the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) beginning on August 28. Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez and West Indies opener Dwayne Smith are also part of the list, according to a report in ‘Ceylon Today’ published in Sri Lanka.
Lanka Premier League: Inaugural edition’s total rights booked by IPG for five years
The report has also mentioned that Dubai-based sports broadcasting company, Innovative Production Group (IPG), has been awarded “total rights” of the LPL for five years.
“IPG has total rights over ground, production, franchises and TV rights of the tournament where they pay USD 2 million annually for the said rights,” the report said.
“…it’s now up to IPG and franchises to finalise their players via negotiations with the players, or any other suitable method, and SLC will not be further involved in the matter.”
The LPL according to the last release by SLC is scheduled to start on 28th August with finals being slated for 20th September. The league is grappling with a lot of unanswered questions like safety norms and the process of selection of cricketers along with others.
Lanka Premier League: Six international cricketers along with local players for Five franchises
The likes of Andre Russell, Angelo Matthews, Paul Stirling, Shahid Afridi, Kyle Abbott, Mohammad Amir, Dale Steyn, Brendan Taylor, Naveen-ul-Haq took part in the inaugural LPL.
The report also stated that “a total of 30 international cricketers (six each per franchise) and five coaches will be selected for the league”.
In addition, a pool of 130 local players will be available to the franchises to select from.
“A Sri Lankan icon player would get a salary cap of USD 60,000, while a top cricketer would be in the range of USD 50,000 to 40,000. Others would fit into the USD 40,000 to 30,000 and USD 20,000 to 10,000 ranges, depending on their stature.”
“International players are expected to be in the USD 10,000 to 60,000 range.”
The T20 league will see 23 matches being played on the four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, South African legends Hashim Amla & Vernon Philander are among International players interested in being a part of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Five teams have been named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna. The tournament ends on September 20.