SLC To Host 'Invitational T20 League' From August 12

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will be conducting a domestic T20 tournament, by the name of ‘SLC Invitational T20 League’, to unearth some of the best talents in the country and prepare the players for the upcoming home white-ball matches against South Africa and then the T20 World Cup in the UAE.

The tournament, which will have the “topmost National and First-Class Cricketers” battle against each other, will run from 12 August to 24 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. Players will be divided into four squads namely the ‘Blues,’ ‘Reds,’ ‘Greens,’ and ‘Greys’ with 15 members in each squad.

Each team will play six games in the league stage; the top 2 teams will meet in the final. The competition will be played in accordance with international standards, and the games will be played as ‘Double Headers,’ with the first game starting at 02.30 PM and the next game at 07.00 PM.

‘This tournament is aimed at giving much-needed match practice to the players, ahead of the important international cricketing fixtures, and also give match exposure to the players, who did not get an opportunity to play during Sri Lanka’s Tour of England and also the concluded series against India,’ said Mr. Ashley De Silva, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sri Lanka are drafted along with Ireland, Netherlands, and Namibia in Group A of the qualifying tournament in the T20 World Cup. The top two teams from this group, and two from Group B which comprises Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman, will go through to join 8 teams in the Super 12s.

SLC postponed Lanka Premier League 2021 to November

Earlier, SLC had to postpone the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) until at least late November due to the absence of foreign players. The tournament was supposed to run from July 30 to August 22, but owing to the international and other franchise commitments, overseas stars had denied their services to the tournament.

However, there are other reasons for this too. Already, three of the five original franchises – Colombo Kings, Dambulla Viiking, and Jaffna Stallions – were terminated by the board due to financial issues. The Sri Lankan players as well have been at loggerheads with the board.

Also Read: IPL 2021: New Zealand Cricket Chief Confirms Their Players’ Participation For The Remaining Matches In The UAE