The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League has been postponed to November due to the evolving situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka.
The 2020 Lanka Premier League was originally scheduled for August 28-September 20.
"The said decision was taken by SLC in consideration of the health guidelines stipulated by the Ministry of Health subsequent to the meeting held with the Health Ministry Authorities," the release from Sri Lanka Cricket read.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the SLC had hoped for shorter and flexible quarantine period for those associated with the logistics and broadcasting of the league. However, the Sri Lankan government didn't consent to it, owing to potential new arrivals from nations where COVID-19 outbreaks have been more significant.
"We're not the experts, so we had to go with what the health ministry is telling us," SLC vice-president Ravin Wickramaratne said to ESPNcricinfo.
"There's a window from November 20th to December 12th, so that is what we are planning."
Among the countries in South Asia, Sri Lanka has been largely successful in containing the coronavirus. The coronavirus deaths in the island nation are fewer than New Zealand, where no cases of COVID-19 were detected for 102 days, until earlier today.
The reason for Sri Lanka being able to contain the infection has been due to the strict measures in place for quarantine and isolation. However, these measures may even hamper the chances of the return of international cricket in Sri Lanka, which is currently scheduled in October when Bangladesh will tour the country for a Test series.
