The preliminary matches of the first ever LPL tournament, which kicked off in April around the country, is to wrap up its island journey on October 3-6.
This will be held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium under the patronage of Minister of Mass Media and information Hon. Dr. Keheliya Rambukwella.
The most unique aspect of LPL games is the use of the semi hard ball, which is a hybrid of the regular soft tennis ball and the leather hard ball used in professional matches. LPL is not only limited to the introduction of what might be a revolutionary ball to the game of cricket, but also a new set of rules. According to this entirely new concept, LPL matches will kick off with two innings of eight overs allowing every team to fielding with only eight players.
“We know T20 started in 2003 at England and today it has taken over the world. 20-20 matches have a better fan base than the traditional test matches. I see similar prospects in the Lanka Premier League”, Dr. Rambukwella praising the innovations of LPL. “I loved the idea of introducing a new ball; it can be a very viable solution to the underprivileged schools that don’t have enough resources to practice with the leather ball. I personally had to give up on a project, which I was partnering with Aravinda De Silva, to develop outstation school cricket due to the same issue, but today I’m optimistic about the future of cricket in school level. ”
Lankan Premier League is the brainchild of Nishantha Hettiarachige and John Daran, two entrepreneurs who share a lifelong friendship of over 25 years. The enterprising duo envisions LPL opening many doors for the pool of talented cricketers around the country
“All LPL games are played with a semi-hard ball, which is names ‘tuff’ and was pioneered in Sri Lanka,” Nishantha explains to the press, “This variation enables players to employ proper cricketing techniques when playing, and give them a chance to improve their balling variations. It can be a quintessential cricketing experience in the professional arena. ”
Daran stressed on how common a game cricket is today. He said “everybody has played cricket at one point in their lives, even me. I’ve been playing whenever I got a free time. And as adults we realized the need for a league which would facilitate the transition of amateurs into professional hardball cricketers. LPL was born out of our desire to provide a platform for aspiring cricketers around the country who do not have the opportunity to showcase their abilities dude to the high cost of resources and the consequent limited accessibility.”
Concluding day’s proceedings, the first ever LPL trophy was handed over to Dr. Rambukwella by Nishantha in recognizing commencement of the bid for the first ever LPL title on October 3rd.
