SLC promises a bigger and brighter LPL Season 2

The steely determination of SLC Vice President and LPL Tournament Director Ravin Wickramaratne and SLC President Shammi Silva made it possible to make the My11Circle LPL a reality. 

• Window created with ICC to hold tournament annually in July-August
• Trincomalee to be included as the sixth team

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Having come through a tough and challenging inaugural My11Circle Lanka Premier League (LPL) successfully, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has promised that Season 2 of the LPL, which is scheduled to be held from 27 July to 18 August 2021, will be bigger and brighter with several international stars included.

For starters, here’s what SLC has in mind for LPL Season 2:

“We will be having one more additional team that is Trincomalee and we will have the playing conditions changed by including the eliminator (like in the IPL). It is something that all the captains emphasised on. The only thing is that we had a stipulated time period to finish the first tournament because the Sri Lanka team was leaving for South Africa. That is why we shortened the tournament but still we played 23 matches. We are also thinking of playing the matches at three venues, but we still don’t know what role COVID-19 will play, we cannot predict the future,” said the LPL Tournament Director Ravin Wickramaratne.

“We expect more international stars to be playing in the tournament. If we have the player draft in February or March then the players will have ample time to look at their international calendar. This year we couldn’t do that and that is why several players opted out.

“We want to keep July-August as the window for the LPL. We basically wrote to the ICC and they have kept it vacant. The only thing is the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) was happening in November but they took it to August because of COVID-19. I don’t know whether they will stick to it but our calendar is of course July-August.”

Wickramaratne also revealed that for next year there wouldn’t be any increase in the players’ fees.

“We might not go there immediately because it is burdening the franchises, but we will introduce that every team will have two icon A grade players to be included in their teams. For the first season we allowed only one icon player but some of the teams didn’t have even one.”

Reflecting on the shortcomings experienced during LPL Season 1, Wickramaratne said: “There were a few small hiccups we need to tie up like the Player Drafts to be held as early as possible, then the recruiting of players or contracting of players with the franchises, we will be giving the sponsors and events right holders ample time to come and partner. In those areas we need to improve.”

Speaking further Wickramaratne stated: “The LPL was a good platform for youngsters and we also actually took the entire country to one stage where it was flooded with LPL, everyone was talking positively about it as an event. We went against all odds under trying circumstances. Basically Shammi (Silva, SLC president) and I took the challenge with our Executive Committee and we did it. I had the satisfaction of finally saying that we did something for Sri Lanka cricket which no one expected.

“There was a lot of opposition. In fact they had gone against SLC and said that it will not happen, and they have spoken even to the franchises and told them not to come forward and not to be a partner of the LPL, that it will never happen. All that negativity was there at the start. We went through that with the support of the Sports Minister, without him this event wouldn’t have happened. We must thank even the President, the Prime Minister and the Health Minister for standing by us. We showed the entire world that Sri Lanka is safe to come and play, and to come and host an event.”

Prior to the LPL there had also been talk of the Indian Premier League possibly hosted some matches, if not the entire tournament, in Sri Lanka. SLC made a concerted push for the move but  the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) eventually decided to host the tournament in the UAE. Wickramaratne believes the LPL’s success might push the BCCI to reconsider next year.

“This is a good eye-opener for the Indian Cricket Board to consider Sri Lanka; if they cannot host the IPL in April next year they can come to Sri Lanka and play matches. We will facilitate the necessary requirements,” assured Wickramaratne.

“It is also an eye-opener for everyone that we maintained health guidelines and managed to have a world class tournament in Sri Lanka. We are happy at the end of Season 1 that no one was reported for COVID-19. That showed the entire world that we had immense resources to ensure everyone in the bubble adhered to the strict health guidelines. We must thank the Army Commander and the Commando unit under Brigadier Shanaka Ratnayake, the MOH, the PHIs and all those who worked tirelessly to maintain the health guidelines.”

On the positive side Wickramaratne said the LPL had an “unbelievable” viewership being broadcast to over 26 countries and a website published that 130 million viewers watched the final worldwide.

“There was a lot of interest shown and inquiries made from the franchises and the sponsors after the LPL. Even yesterday I got about three, four calls from London and Canada whether they can have a franchise sponsorship. A lot of opportunities have been created even for the players.

“What I heard from some of the franchise owners is that they are looking at Sri Lanka’s young talent for their domestic leagues like PSL (Pakistan Super League), BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) and Euro 20. The door has been opened for youngsters who have done well. That’s another plus point for Sri Lanka cricket. 

“Other than that the LPL was not a profit making event in the sense we may have got the revenue but under the circumstances we had to basically spend on health regulatory things and get the services of the PHIs and doctors. Every team was given a doctor which was never a case earlier.”