Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday announced that the player auction for the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) is to be held on October 1, with around 150 foreign players including Chris Gayle, Colin Munro, Shahid Afridi, Daren Sammy, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Darren Bravo, Ravi Bopara, Munaf Patel and Vernon Philander expected to go under the hammer.

Each franchise will be permitted a 19-member squad of which up to six could be international players. 

In total, 30 international players and 65 local players are expected to take part in the tournament across the five teams. 

The tournament which was initially slated to be held in August, is scheduled to run from November 14 to December 6 and will feature 23 matches. 

The matches will be limited to the Pallekele, Hambantota and Dambulla International Stadiums with the official LPL launch to be held in Hambantota.