The second edition will give both top and fringe players a chance to do well ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially announced the second season of Lanka Premier League (LPL) announcement on 9 June (Wednesday). The tournament will be held from 30th July to 22nd August 2021.
The inaugural edition of LPL was a huge success as it managed to get top foreign players like Andre Russell, Kyle Abbott, Shoaib Malik and Dale Steyn. It also generated a fair amount of viewership among fans across the world with 135 million viewers watching the finals.
There were speculations going around as to whether the first edition of the LPL can be conducted during the pandemic but Sri Lanka Cricket went ahead with ang got the first edition of the tournament rolling with five teams.
All the matches were held at the MRICS, Hambantota in a bio-secure environment with not many cases registered during the event. This year too, the plans are being laid out to host the event at one venue since the COVID-19 situation is still prevalent. as reported by Island Cricket.
This news comes as a shot in the arm for Sri Lankan players as of late, they have been at the loggerheads with the SLC regarding the increase in payment for the annual contract. The second edition of LPL will give chance for both the top and fringe players to perform well and be in the reckoning for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which is to be held in India in October and November 2021.
Sri Lanka looking ahead to the United Kingdom tour
Jaffna Stallions were crowned the winners of the inaugural edition of LPL, as they defeated Galle Gladiators by 53 runs. Former Sri Lanka allrounder Thisara Perera led the charge for the Stallions and this year too he looks set to lead the squad. With no pressure of performing well to stay in the team, the 32-year-old will be even more dangerous with his all-round abilities.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are all set to tour England for a limited-overs series starting on June 23. The tour gives players a good opportunity to perform well and show the cricketing world that they can compete against the top team.
