LPL inaugural player auction at Shangri La Hotel today

• 360 players to come under the hammer for collective purse of $ 2.5m

A total of 360 players (156 overseas and 204 domestic) will come under the hammer at the inaugural player auction of the Lanka Premier League - 4 (LPL) which takes place today at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo commencing 3 p.m.

The auction will have 51 rounds, focusing on multiple talent options, such as batters, all-rounders, fast and spin bowlers, and wicketkeepers, with different segments for each criterion, such as capped batters, uncapped batters, etc.

During the auction, a franchise will have to pick a minimum of 16 players, including four foreign players, as each franchise already has pre-signed two overseas players along with two Sri Lankan players. Each franchise will also have to pick one under-21 Sri Lankan player at the auction, which is a mandatory requirement.

The auction will have a collective purse of $ 2.5 million from all five franchise teams, with each franchise bringing in a sum of $ 500,000. The teams will have to ensure that they invest a minimum of 85% of the purse they bring into the auction to form their respective squads.

The five teams are reigning champions Jaffna Kings, Colombo Strikers, Dambulla Aura, Galle Gladiators and Kandy Falcons.

Charu Sharma, who was part of the previous LPL player drafts, will be the auctioneer.