Get Ready For The SLPL

Finally it seems the once failed Sri Lanka T20 Premier League Tournament (SLPL) will hit the scene in August.
The first ever SLPL T20 tournament was to be played from July 19 to August 4 2011 with the five inter-provincial teams which regularly feature in the local circuit along with two additional teams,Nagenahira Nagas and Uthura Oryxes vying for the big prize bag.

However,it was put off for this year amidst allegations of corruption with the Parlimentary Committee on Public Evterprises (COPE) questioning some of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) deals, including the T20 agreement with Somerset Entertainment Ventures, a Singapore based entertainment company.
During the past few weeks, the SLC, which had signed a five year deal with this previously unheard of foreign based company, has been trying to resolve the differences and get the much promised spectacle back on the road.

According to a senior SLC official,Sri Lanka Cricket has retained the services of top  corporate lawyer Harsha Amerasekara to renegotiate the deal with Somerset, especially some of the clauses that came under scrutiny.
It is also learned  that the SLC has made a presentation of the new format of the SLPL to COPE and got the clearance. The matter has now been referred to Attorney General's Department for it's observations.
The SLC official said: "The momentwe get clearance from the AG'S Department we will go ahead with arrangements to make the SLPL a success."
Another snag that hit the botched SLPL edition one last year was the Indian cricket board's decision not to permit Indian players to take part in the Sri Lankan tournament on grounds that the tournament had connection with the controversial former IPL chief Lalith Modi.
In the edition one that was to be played last year, the teams and the respective captains were,



































With the ICC's T20 World Championships to be worked off a few days after the  SLPL in Sri Lanka in September most of the cricket governing bodies may be interested in getting their players acclimatized to the Lankan conditions-slow,low turning wickets,heat and the high humidity.
Ironically during this period only the cricketers from New Zealand will be free of an international engagement.The rest of the top cricketingbrood will be involved in series such as West Indies vs Bangladesh, South Africa vs Zimbabwe, England vs India and Australia vs Pakistan.
The matches will be played atleast in two venues, but the authorities may try to preserve the wickets at the R.Premadasa Stadium,Pallekele and Hambantota Stadium owing to the preperations of the ICC spectacle.

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