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Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed on Wednesday that the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will take place in the months of July and August this year. While the window has been announced on a provisional basis, the body confirmed that the final decision pertaining to the tournament will be taken after discussions with the Ministry of Health closer to the tournament.
Notably, the first edition of the tournament was held successfully during the pandemic from November 26 to December 16 last year. The board had managed to build a safe and secure bio-bubble and has now ensured that they will asses the country's situation in coming months. "We have found a suitable window to hold this year’s edition, whilst we are currently working on finalizing the other details of the tournament,’’ said Professor Arjuna De Silva, chairman, Management Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Tournament is scheduled to begin on July 30
The second edition of Lanka Premier League will kick off on July 30, Friday. While the fixtures have not yet been announced, there is a possibility that the first match of the tournament will be held between the finalists of last season. In that case, defending champions Jaffna Stallions could lock horns with last year's runners-up Galle Gladiators in the season opener.
Grand finale of LPL 2 to take place on August 22
The 24-day tournament will feature the following five teams - Colombo Kings, Dambulla Viking, Jaffna Stallions, Galle Gladiators and Kandy Tuskers. A total of 23 matches will be played in the season, with the final to be held on August 22, Sunday.
Sri Lanka have hosted a few international matches this year
The COVID-19 situation in Sri Lanka is not that bad and the board managed to conduct England's tour to the country quite successfully. They are also planning to host India for a bilateral series in July and has revealed the plans for maintaining the bio-bubble. Regarding the series, Arjuna De Silva had said, “We have all the help from the health ministry, with about 10 doctors taking care of the bubble, so our medical team is large.”