Revised LPL schedule announced: Colombo to meet Kandy in opener

By Amindha de Alwis

The revised schedule for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) was released yesterday (8) with all matches slated to be held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Hambantota.

The tournament which has suffered many postponements to-date was finally given the green-light by health authorities last week and will now get underway on November 26 with the Colombo Kings locking horns with the Kandy Tuskers.

The entirety of the 23-match tournament will be conducted in a bio-secure bubble with each of the five teams engaging in eight games apiece in the opening round followed by semi-finals on December 13 and 14. The tournament will come to a conclusion with the final on December 16.

All afternoon games will commence at 3.30 pm local time, while the evening matches will get underway at 7.30 pm, with the exception of the games on November 27 and December 4 which are to start at 8 pm.

Sony Pictures Sports Network has secured the Television Rights for the LPL and the competition’s schedule appears to have been devised while working around the dates of India’s tour of Australia of which Sony holds the rights as well.

The LPL’s rest days coincide with India-Australia match days while the sole two days that do clash will see the LPL only play an evening game commencing half-an-hour later than usual.