Sri Lanka's national team players
The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) is currently under threat of postponement due to COVID-19 pandemic. The five-team tournament, initially slated to start from November 21 after many reschedulings, could delay even further as Sri Lanka health ministry has insisted on a 14-day quarantine for overseas players.
The two-week quarantine could possibly a dealbreaker for several players as well as broadcast crews and commentators. In the wake of the current situation, the much-awaited tournament could also be moved out of Sri Lanka, possibly to the UAE or Malaysia.
"The first option is to play the tournament across two venues in Sri Lanka - in Hambantota and Pallekele - but we might have to move the tournament back by about one week," ESPNcricinfo quoted tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne as saying.
"The second option is to play it all in one venue, which will make the arrangements around a biosecure bubble for players and staff more straightforward," he added.
As per reports, the SLC officials and LPL organisers will meet with Sri Lanka's health ministry on Wednesday to discuss the feasibility of the tournament. As per current schedule, 23 matches will be played in the LPL from November 21 to December 13, 2020. All fixtures will be hosted by only two venues-- Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Hambantota and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (PICS) in Kandy.
"The last option, which we would rather not take, is to play in the UAE or Malaysia. This is a Sri Lankan tournament so it should be played here. But this has been a much-awaited tournament, and there are many Sri Lankan players who have been waiting to play in it. So we want to play it," Wickramaratne further said.
Irfan Pathan had recently hogged the headlines after signing up for the Kandy Tuskers franchise in the LPL. A team owned by Sohail Khan-- Bollywood star Salman Khan's brother-- has the likes of Chris Gayle and Liam Plunkett in its artillery of overseas players.
