Sri Lanka Cricket has lined-up over 100 overseas players for the Lanka Premier League (LPL) that includes Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Darren Bravo, Shahid Afridi, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Ravi Bopara, Colin Munro, Munaf Patel and Vernon Philander.
It will be launched in what is fast becoming Sri Lanka’s sporting capital Hambantota in the second week of November and player auctions are expected to be held on October 1. Built for the 2011 World Cup the Hambantota venue, which is known as the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, has been left to languish without action for several periods despite having a large cricket following in the region.
It will also serve as the home venue of the Galle franchise team.
Five franchise teams will contest the championship played on the lines of the Indian IPL and each side can buy six foreign players making up a total 30 international players who will join 65 local players.
The tournament will be run from November 14 to December 6 and the matches will be played in Dambulla, Pallekele and Hambantota.
The five teams will also have what is being called an iconic player each which could be the probable captain who will have a price value of Rs.12 million for the three-week show while the rest of the players will be auctioned.