Russel Arnold takes up LPL director post

As Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) roll out plans to revive the defunct Sri Lanka Premier League under a new banner called Lanka Premier League (LPL) later this year, the Board has signed up cricket commentator Russel Arnold as tournament director.

Arnold, a former Sri Lanka cricketer who took to cricket commentating following his retirement, is a respected figure in the commentary box and said to have a good rapport with the cricket boards and players around the world.

He will take up the position on May 1, Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed yesterday. The tournament is expected to feature some big international names (but no Indians) and will be played between August 18- September 10 this year. Indian cricketers are not allowed to compete in other domestic leagues by their Board. 

As overall head, Arnold is expected to work closely with Boards around the world to attract top international stars for the tournament and also make it financially profitable to Sri Lanka Cricket.

The inaugural LPL will see six teams battling it out for the title. SLC said each team will play ten first round matches--two matches against each team. 

The proposed LPL, however, clashes with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the English domestic season. The CPL is scheduled from August 8 to September 16, with the English domestic season ongoing throughout. 

SLC conducted their own T20 tournament in 2012, but it crashed most dramatically in 2013 when each franchise was terminated after failing to pay the participation fee three weeks before the tournament was scheduled to begin.