Coronavirus Outbreak: Inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League postponed due to unavailability of players

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have postponed the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) due to unavailability of top foreign players who would have had to undergo 14-day compulsory quarantine owing to rising cases of COVID-19 in the island nation. The T20 League was scheduled to start on 28 August, subject to approval from the government and Ministry of health but the 14-day compulsory quarantine period turned out to be an issue with regards to foreign players. [caption id=“attachment_8696151” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Sri Lanka cricket team. AFP[/caption] “We had a discussion with the health authorities and the 14-day quarantine period for anyone entering the country is compulsory. So it’s difficult to play the tournament at the end of August,” SLC President Shammi Silva told NewsWire. “We will play the tournament in mid November after IPL,” Silva’s information indicated that they are looking at roping in the best T20 freelancers. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to be held in UAE from 19 September to 10 November. A total of 23 matches were scheduled in LPL which was supposed to end on 20 September. It will be played at four international venues of R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, Rangiri Dambulu International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and Suriyawewa Mahinda Rajapakse International Cricket Stadium. Five teams were named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna. According to reports, a total of 93 international cricketers, including England’s World Cup-winning pacer Liam Plunkett and New Zealand seamer Tim Southee, were also listed for the tournament.