LPL in August: SLC poser
Sri Lanka Cricket ( SLC) wants to kick- off its national T20 event, the Lanka Premier League ( LPL), in August this year notwithstanding the current global health crisis. But they privately admit that the chances of it happening are “extremely thin”.
Officials of the Board, whose finances are taking a beating due to the cancellation of multiple inbound tours, are not demotivated yet. They are preparing for the tournament. This week, they extended the deadline for potential buyers of media rights, ground sponsorship rights and television production rights for what they claimed was the “most prominent cricket event in Sri Lanka’s sports calendar”.
Bidders now have till May 22 to express their intent. The closing date - originally set for March 31 - was extended several times owing to COVID-19.
The tournament, which was conceptualised in early 2018 and was scheduled for later that year, is now slated to take place between August 15 and September 4 with the participation of international cricketers. The Board hopes to secure a stable broadcasting deal and sponsorships to make it financially viable. Except for India, England and Australia, many have struggled to make such events profitable. A significant majority of T20 domestic teams throughout the world are still suffering losses.
“We are seriously looking at playing it this year,” said SLC’s Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva.
“But we also have two other international tours lined up for the months of June and July, the Indian and Bangladesh tours. If these tours get pushed back due to current situation in the world, we might have to postpone it for next year. Right now, we are exploring all opportunities.”
Will the global economic crisis allow SLC to bring in sponsors? De Silva claimed several parties have expressed some interest.
“This is why we decided to go to the market to sell media and other rights,” he explained.
“If we get a good price, we will proceed.”
According to the details available, the tournament will see five teams representing Colombo, Kandy, Hambantota, Galle and Jaffna fighting for the LPL title. Each team will have 16 players. There will be six international cricketers and a maximum of ten in the support staff including two coaches of international repute.
A total of 23 matches including the two semi-finals and the final will be played at R Premadasa, Pallekele, Hambantota and Dambulla International cricket grounds providing much needed exposure for local cricketers playing alongside international stars. Whether renowned foreign players can be attracted - after they clear all other hurdles such as selling media rights, finding sponsors and getting clearance from health authorities - remains to be seen.
The tournament also directly clashes with the Caribbean Premier League, an established tournament in the Caribbean Islands with a host of international stars. To lure them in, the SLC will have to offer big paychecks. But it doesn’t have the economic clout the Indian Board has.
Travel restrictions may also discourage many international cricket stars who will opt for health and safety over the sport.
In 2012, the Sri Lanka Premier
League - SLC’s version of IPL - died a natural death soon after its inaugural edition when franchises breached payment deadlines of the tournament.
The Board said at the time it had made a profit of Rs 200mn from the inaugural editions managed by Summerset Entertainment, a Singapore based marketing firm. Several attempts at revival failed, mainly due to lack of commercial interest in the tournament. Aside from the IPL, very few T20 teams or franchises make money.