Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Sunday released the complete schedule of the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League. The tournament will kickstart from November 27 and the matches will take place at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota.
Earlier, the board had postponed the tournament due to a number of factors coming to an effect during in August. Moreover, the 14-day mandatory quarantine proposed by the country’s health ministry was not feasible for many international players prior to the tournament.
SLC had announced the schedule on October 23, and as per that schedule, the tournament would have started on November 21 with the finals on December 13. However, they revised the whole schedule on the guidelines issued by the health ministry.
In order to curb the spread of the virus, the board has only listed Hambantota as the host for every game of the league taking place until December 16, 2020.
“Holding of the tournament in Hambantota and in one venue, enhances our plan of setting up and maintaining an effective bio-secure bubble, and with the approval coming from the government, we are now confident of going ahead with the tournament,’’ Ravin Wickramaratne, Tournament Director of the LPL said.
As many as five international players including Andre Russell, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, Dawid Malan, and Manvinder Bisla opted out of the tournament. Russel injured himself during KKR’s last game in the ongoing Indian Premier League. While the other four players opted out due to their obligation to the national team.
The first match will see Kandy take on Colombo at 7:30 PM (IST), followed by the game between Jaffna and Galle at the same venue.
Semi-finals of the tournament will take place on December 13th & 14th respectively, with the finals on December 16.
Lanka Premier League complete schedule:
