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Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) introduced a bizarre criterion for the overseas players who are willing to take part in the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Along with some other criteria, the cricket board clearly stated that possessing a significant number of followers in their social media accounts was necessary.
That rule created a stir on social media platforms. It was clear that the cricket board aimed to increase the popularity of the league through the ‘star’ power. Across the planet, franchises brought players based on stats, performance, experiences, but not on the basis of social media followers.
SLC deleted their bizarre criteria after severe backlash
But SLC wanted those particular cricketers who have a substantial amount of fan following on their respective social media accounts. After a severe backlash on the internet, SLC is reportedly trashing its plan.
On May 9, Newswire reported, “Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed the controversial social media follower requirement for Icon and Star category players in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide following backlash on social media and criticism from sections of the cricket community.”
“An updated Version 1.5 of the LPL Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide, issued on May 9, no longer includes the earlier requirement that players in the Icon and Star categories possess social media followings exceeding 250,000 followers,” it added further.
What was the previous benchmark?
In the previous notification, issued by the Sri Lanka cricket, it was stated that the players under the Icon and Star category, should have Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed the controversial social media follower requirement for Icon and Star category players in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide following backlash on social media and criticism from sections of the cricket community.
An updated Version 1.5 of the LPL Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide, issued on May 9, no longer includes the earlier requirement that players in the Icon and Star categories possess social media followings exceeding 250,000 followers; for the Gold category players, 150,000+ followers were mandatory. The other cricketers, who were not considered among the big names in world cricket, were asked to show “Reasonable fan base and commercial appeal” on their respective social media accounts.
The previous notification for the LPL overseas player category rules:
Category | Cricket Criteria | Social Media Requirement |
Icon | 75+ T20Is, 100+ franchise T20s, 30 matches in last 18 months | 250,000+ followers |
Star | 50+ T20Is, 100+ franchise T20s, 30 recent matches | 250,000+ followers |
Gold | 30+ T20Is, 75+ franchise T20s, 20 recent matches | 150,000+ followers |
Classic | 20+ T20Is, 50+ franchise T20s, 20 recent matches | “Reasonable fan base and commercial appeal” |
As soon as it broke out in the news and in other public domains, it went viral among the cricket fans and eventually became a talking point for the entire cricket fraternity. Later, as it is reported, SLC has deleted his part from the notifications.
Read More: LPL introduces shocking social media followers rule for players ahead of Season 6
