Sri Lanka To Host a T20 League This July-August

Shahid Afridi and other Pakistani players who were cold-shouldered by the IPL will benefit from the league.

Drawing inspiration from the Indian Premier League, the Sri Lankan Cricket has planned to organize a T20 league in July-August that will feature some of the top players of Sri Lanka and selected players from India, Australia, Pakistan, South Africa and West Indies. This tournament will feature five domestic teams from Sri Lanka, led by the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardane and other senior Sri Lankan cricketers.

Somerset Entertainment, that has bought rights to Sri Lanka Cricket last year, is likely to run the league. It has approached some of the best retired players and T20 specialists. It is understood that around 40 players have been approached and the list includes India’s Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi and the West Indian Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard.

The salaries for the players, however, will be on a lower side compared to that of the Indian Premier League. It is believed that the highest salary for a player will be around $30,000, which is far lesser than the average salary in the IPL.

The tournament will benefit from its timings as many players would be free from international commitments by July. The timings, that overlap with the test tour in England has allowed the BCCI to give a ‘go-ahead’ signal to the league. This means India’s limited over specialists will feature in the league.

Among those who have given the green signal about their participation are Shoaib Akhtar and South African Herschelle Gibbs. Many Pakistan players who were cold-shouldered by the franchises are likely to participate in the league.