Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023. The 4th edition of the LPL will kickstart on 31st July 2023 and the final will be played on 22nd August 2023.
Notably, the SLC has planned to streamline the tournament in its originally planned window of July to August. If the tournament is successfully conducted as planned, it will be the first time that the championship will be held in the allocated window. However, the Major League Cricket (MLC) from July 13-30 and the Hundred of England from August 1 to 27 may impact the organization of SLC.
The previous three editions of the LPL have been conducted in the November to December window after being postponed from the July to August window. While the previous edition was postponed due to the escalated geopolitical situation in the country, 2020 and 2021 were postponed because of the local covid restrictions and the unavailability of foreign stars for the league.
Addressing the media, LPL Director Samantha Dodanwela stated that the SLC and LPL Team is geared up to host another successful stint and recruit top international talents for the event.
“We have decided to hold the tournament during July and August this year, as conducting the tournament during this period gives us the best possible opportunity to attract top international talent and also suits well with Sri Lanka’s international cricket calendar,” LPL tournament director Samantha Dodanwela said.
A total of five franchises will take part in the Lanka Premier League 2023, namely:
- Jaffna Kings
- Galle Gladiators
- Kandy Falcons
- Dambulla Aura
- Colombo Stars
All the teams can have a maximum of 20 players in their squad. 14 players need to be from Sri Lanka whereas six overseas players are allowed.
Lanka Premier League 2023 will be conducted across three venues in Sri Lanka:
- Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
- Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy
- Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, Hambantota
The Jaffna Kings franchise has been the most successful contingent at the championship. They have won all three previous editions of the tournament. All the other franchises will aim to now break the record and clinch their maiden victory. Jaffna Kings beat Colombo Stars by 2 wickets to win their 3rd LPL title after chasing down the target of 164 runs in 19.2 overs & two wickets in hand.
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