Ahead of the second season of Lankan Premier League (LPL), the exclusive right holders for the event, Innovative Production Group FZE (IPG) and Sri Lanka Cricket have ended the ownership of Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking for issues relating to non-compliance. According to Insidesport, both teams will see a change in ownership due to non-payment of dues to the commercial right holders of the league.
Colombo Kings was owned by the Saza Group of Murfad Mustafa of Dubai, and Dambulla Vikings by the Telugu Warriors company owned by Sachin Joshi. IPG group has confirmed that the new owners will meet the criteria set by ICC and Sri Lanka Cricket. It remains to be seen whether there will be a new process or a bidding procedure will be followed. InsideSport also reveals that numerous parties have already shown interest in the ownership of these two teams.
The T-20 leagues across the globe have seen teams and owners getting dissolved ever since franchise cricket came into existence. Even in IPL, similar legal and financial disputes have emerged in the past. Deccan Chargers, Pune Warriors India, and Kochi Tuskers are three franchises that have been dissolved in the history of IPL. BCCI recently won a legal battle against Deccan Chargers after the team had appealed for significant compensation.
It remains to be seen what consequences SLC and IPG will face after the termination of two LPL teams. As things stand, new teams have to be finalised as soon as possible. The second season of LPL is set to begin on July 30 and conclude by August 22. LPL will begin once the white ball series between India and Sri Lanka comes to an end. Despite the controversy surrounding the ownership of two teams, Ravin Wickramaratne (Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket) is confident that the second season of LPL will be a massive hit.