Sri Lanka Cricket planning to become first ICC member for hosting official T10 League

International cricket resumed in June amid the COVID-19 pandemic with England hosting West Indies and Pakistan for Test, ODI and T20I series respectively. Franchise cricket also made its return recently with the Caribbean Premier League. But Sri Lanka is yet to resume with it's international commitments due to pandemic, with a lot of speculation over the future of the Sri Lankan Premier League T20 2020 also making the news.

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Recently, InsideSport had reported that the Sri Lankan Premier League 2020 is likely to be postponed due to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) being in a fix considering the COVID-19 protocols in the country, which has reportedly caused lot of conflict between the country's government and the cricket board. Amid all this, another report has surfaced that Sri Lanka Cricket board are hoping to become the first ICC Full Member nation to host a national T10 league in the future. As per the report, SLC have called for tenders over franchise ownership and tournament sponsors this week.

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Sri Lanka's T10 League plans

According to a report published by ESPNCricinfo , the tournament will see 17 matches taking place in a double round-robin format, followed by the semi-finals and the final. Six teams are expected to feature with Sri Lanka Cricket hoping to include a team from northern Sri Lanka. Each squad will mostly comprise of 16 players, including a maximum of six foreign internationals. While only two venues, Dambulla and Pallekele have been pencilled in at present to host the games, SLC hopes to utilise the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo as well, provided renovations are completed in time.

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When will Sri Lanka Cricket Board hold T10 league?

As per the report, although the details of the tournament are yet to be finalised, Sri Lanka Cricket is hoping to hold the tournament sometime in 2021, when they are able to find a suitable window and which will also be compatible with the Sri Lanka Premier League T20 tournament and potential national team tours.

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Sri Lanka Cricket Board CEO Ashley de Silva, while speaking to the cricket website, said that the T10 League would help Sri Lanka Cricket in a commercial sense. He added that the T10 League will be more interesting for the spectators, while it will also bring something new to the country

Sri Lanka players in BCCI-organized Dream11 IPL

Amid news regarding the Sri Lankan Premier League T20 and the T10 League, Sri Lanka pacer Isuru Udana has been doing well for himself in the ongoing Dream11 IPL in the UAE. Udana is a part of Bangalore side led by Virat Kohli, who are currently third on the Dream11 IPL points table. The left-arm pacer is the second leading wicket-taker for his side in the tournament with 5 wickets behind Yuzvendra Chahal. Sri Lanka cricket legend Lasith Malinga, who was set to play for Mumbai, opted out of the tournament due to personal reasons.

Image Source: Sri Lanka Cricket / Twitter