LPL Player Auction goes live today on Star Sports

Tournament gaining momentum and prestige in its fifth year

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) is certainly gaining in momentum and prestige with the second Player Auction to be held at the Hilton Colombo today commencing 12 p.m. being shown live on Star Sports network. 

This is the first time in its five-year history that the LPL Player Auction is coming out live on one of the most popular and prestigious TV sports channels.

The first three years the players were recruited on a Player Draft and last year for the first time a Player Auction was held but it was live streamed.

A total of 420 players, both Sri Lankan and overseas, are due to go under the hammer. Of them 154 are Sri Lankans and 266 from overseas.

The auction will have a collective purse of $ 2.5 million from all five franchise teams with each of them bringing in a sum of $ 500,000.

Players can be retained by the franchises, by deducting their value from the $ 500,000 allocated to each of them for the Player Auction and entering the auction with the remaining money.

Franchise owners have been permitted to retain or enter into individual contracts with players prior to the Player Auction. Teams are allowed to do so under two methods for a maximum of six cricketers.

B-Love Kandy are the current champions having won the title last year. However, whether they will retain the same name for this year’s edition is still under scrutiny as there is a possibility of a change of the franchise owner. Discussions are still underway with the current owners.

The fifth edition of LPL has already seen two owners being removed and replaced as they had failed to adhere to the guidelines set for the tournament. As a result Galle and Dambulla have got new owners and they will enter this year’s tournament as Galle Marvels (formerly Galle Titans) and Dambulla Thunders (formerly Dambulla Aura).

There has been quite a number of shifting around of players from one franchise to another. Three-times champions Jaffna Kings have released their skipper Thisara Perera who has signed up with Colombo Strikers, and mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana who has pre-signed with Galle Marvels.

Kandy has retained their Captain Wanindu Hasaranga along with Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis and Angelo Mathews and acquired the services of Andre Fletcher and Kyle Mayers as their pre-auction overseas choices.

Last year’s runner-up Dambulla will not have the services of their Captain Kusal Mendis, opener Avishka Fernando and spinner Noor Ahmed as all three have pre-signed with Jaffna Kings.

Wicket-keeper/bat Sadeera Samarawickrama has moved from Dambulla to Colombo Strikers who have Glenn Phillips and Shadab Khan as their pre-auction overseas preferences.

Galle Marvels has acquired the services of devastating England batter Alex Hales who will make his first appearance in the LPL and Niroshan Dickwella from Colombo Strikers. They have retained New Zealand wicket-keeper/batsman Tim Seifert along with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Lasith Croospulle.

Dambulla Thunders has been strengthened in their bowling by pre-signing last year’s most expensive player at the auction left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka from Jaffna Kings, and also IPL stars Nuwan Thushara (Mumbai Indians) and Mustafizur Rehman (Chennai Super Kings).

Five teams, the same as last year, are participating in LPL-5 which will run from 1-21 July at three venues Pallekele, Dambulla and Colombo (R. Premadasa Stadium).

Auctioneer Charu Sharma who conducted the inaugural LPL Player Auction last year, has already arrived in Colombo to do a second stint.  

PRE-SIGNED AND RETAINED PLAYERS

COLOMBO STRIKERS 

Chamika Karunaratne, Nipun Dhananjaya, Thisara Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Shadab Khan, Glenn Philips

DAMBULLA THUNDERS 

Dushan Hemantha, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran

GALLE MARVELS 

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella, Maheesh Theekshana, Tim Seifert, Alex Hales

JAFFNA KINGS

Charith Asalanka, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmed.

KANDY?

Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Wanindu Hasaranga, Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers

SLC Major T20 to resume on Sunday

Following the postponement of the knockout round of the SLC Major T20 tournament due to the current adverse weather conditions, the Tournament Committee has decided to recommence the matches from Sunday (26 May) after the Vesak holidays.

The quarter-finals will be played on 26 May, the semi-finals on 29 May and the final on 1 June.

The venues for the matches will be decided by the Tournament Committee.