Jaffna Stallions has reportedly become the third Lanka Premier League franchise to face the axing.
After Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking were given the axe from LPL last month following a joint action taken by the SLC and league rights holders – Innovative Production Group FZE (IPG), the Jaffna franchise is the next team in line to face termination.
The inaugural champions of LPL – Jaffna Stallions are owned by a consortium of Sri Lankan and Indian origin investors based in various parts of the world, including Australia, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the USA. The reason for the termination of all three franchises from the tournament is termed as ‘reasons of non-compliance’.
However, the organisers of LPL are ready to welcome new owners whose KYCs are directly with the International Cricket Council. Several new bodies have already expressed their desire to be part of the next edition of LPL, and the SLC are now waiting for a green signal from ICC to go ahead with new owners.
After a hugely successful first edition of LPL, the second edition was expected to be held from July 30 to August 22 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota. But there are reports suggesting that the tournament can be further postponed due to a lack of availability of foreign players.
“Be it Bangladesh, the West Indies, Pakistan or England players – none of them are available at this stage. Right now the new dates for the league are undecided, SLC will check the feasibility in next few weeks,”
an SLC official told InsideSport.
However, it is suspected that the unavailability of players is not the only reason behind the postponement of the tournament. The probable termination of 3 out of 5 LPL franchises has obviously caused a hiatus behind the scenes. The SLC is looking for a way to resolve these issues as soon as possible.
Apart from Jaffna Stallions, Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking, Galle Gladiators and Kandy Tuskers were the other two teams to take part in the inaugural edition of the LPL last year. However, it can be a long wait for the 2nd season as another challenge awaits for the SLC to find a suitable window to hold the tournament later this year as International fixtures start coming up thick and fast.
