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Jaffna Kings (Image source- Twitter)
Since 2020, teams from Sri Lankan cities have competed in the Lanka Premier League, a professional cricket league played in the T20 format. The league was formed in 2018 by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Ravin Wickramaratne, Vice President of SLC, was appointed as tournament director in August 2020.
The third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will begin on July 31st, with five teams fighting for the prestigious title. Meanwhile, the player selection draft for the forthcoming tournament is set for July 5th. The draft will include 353 players, featuring 180 foreigners and 173 Sri Lankans (First Class, Internationals, and Ex-Internationals).
The virtual event will begin at 5 p.m., with the LPL Governance Committee and Franchise Owners participating. The draft will be broken into 20 rounds, with each round focusing on a different player category. International Ruby, International Sapphire, International Diamond 'A,' 'B,' and International Platinum are among the categories.
A Sri Lanka 'Gold Round,' on the other hand, would focus on selecting young talent under the age of 23, with two players per squad. Each side will have a squad of 20 players, with 14 Sri Lankans and six internationals. A team can also retain six of its players from the previous year, including four Sri Lankans and two foreigners. The player draft also allows franchisees to sign two Sri Lankan and two foreign players before the players draft.
Carlos Braithwaite, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Rampaul, Dwaine Pretorius, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams, Shakib-al-Hasan, Kevin O'Brien, and Ross Taylor are among the top foreign cricketers who have submitted their names for the draft.
The Lankan Premier League season 2022 will begin on July 31st and finish on August 21st. The event has five teams: Jaffna Kings, Kandy Warriors, Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Giants, and Colombo Stars. The event will be held at two different locations: the MRICS in Hambantota and the RPICS in Colombo.
Thus far, the LPL has had two editions, in 2020 and 2021, with Jaffna Kings winning both times.