After getting the clearance from Sri Lanka Government, Lanka Premier League (LPL) is set to be played in the final week of November. The league received another big boost last weekend as Sony Ten Network has bought the television rights for this season.
Sony Ten Network has been broadcasting Sri Lanka’s international cricket matches in the subcontinent for a long time. The television network signed a three year deal for global rights with the Sri Lanka Cricket board in August, so the broadcast rights for LPL are also likely to be part of this deal. It is going to be busy few months for Sony Network as they are also set to broadcast India’s Tour of Australia on six channels.
It has been a long drawn out saga for LPL to schedule the tournament this year. The inaugural campaign was initially postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In October, the draft of LPL took place but there were lingering doubts over the tournament due to a rise in coronavirus cases across Sri Lanka. There was also disagreement over the quarantine period that foreign players will have to serve to participate in this tournament.
Sri Lanka Cricket finally found a breakthrough in the talks with the government last week. The government agreed to decrease the quarantine period from 14 days to seven days. However, the tournament is likely to be played in only one stadium in Hambantota.
The governing body of the tournament released the new schedule last weekend. The first game is set to take place between Colombo Kings and Kandy Tuskers on November 26, while the final will be held on December 16. After so many setbacks, the Sri Lanka Cricket board will be hoping that the tournament goes smoothly and becomes an overwhelming success for cricket in the island nation.