The third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be played between December 6 and December 23, as announced August 9. The 2022 edition of the tournament, was originally scheduled to be played from July 31 to August 21, but had to be rescheduled owing to the economic unrest in Sri Lanka.
“It’s my pleasure to announce that the LPL will be held from 6th to 23rd December,”
LPL tournament organiser Samantha Dodanwela informed the media.
Sri Lanka is going through one of its most difficult crises in history, and the ongoing situation also led to the moving the Asia Cup 2022 from the island nation to the UAE, though Sri Lanka Cricket retained the hosting rights for the competition.
The LPL is a five-team competition featuring the two-time champions Jaffna Kings, formerly the Stallions, Galle Gladiators, Colombo Stars, Kandy Falcons and Dambulla Giants. No official decision has been made on a potential re-draft as yet.
The LPL 2022 will likely be followed by a Sri Lanka tour of India for an ODI series in December-January, as per Sri Lanka’s Future Tours Program.
Dondanwela was speaking on the sidelines of the briefing of the ongoing SLC Invitational T20 tournament – a four-team competition organised following the postponement of the LPL – which aims at helping the national selectors for narrowing down the squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 to be played in Australia in October-November.
Sri Lanka finished runners-up in the 2009 and 2012 editions, losing to Pakistan at Lord’s and to West Indies at home in the respective finals, while going down to eventual champions England in the 2010 semis. They won their maiden T20 World Cup in 2014, under Lasith Malinga, beating India in the final. They failed to make it to the top-four in 2016 and 2021.
