COLOMBO: The start date of the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 is being reconsidered as Sri Lanka's health ministry has insisted on a 14-day quarantine for the overseas players.
There is also a possibility that the marquee league will be moved to Malaysia or the UAE.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had already postponed the megaevent twice and is hopeful to start the tournament from November. However, the country's health ministry guidelines of a 14-day quarantine have come out as a dealbreaker for some overseas players.
"The first option is to play the tournament across two venues in Sri Lanka - in Hambantota and Pallekele - but we might have to move the tournament back by about one week," ESPNcricinfo quoted tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne as saying.
"The second option is to play it all in one venue, which will make the arrangements around a biosecure bubble for players and staff more straightforward," he added.
Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has signed a contract to play in the LPL for the Kandy Tuskers franchise. Kandy has West Indies legend Chris Gayle and England right-arm fast bowler, Liam Plunkett, as their overseas players.
"The last option, which we would rather not take, is to play in the UAE or Malaysia. This is a Sri Lankan tournament so it should be played here," said Wickramaratne
"But this has been a much-awaited tournament, and there are many Sri Lankan players who have been waiting to play in it. So we want to play it," he further said.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, SLC officials and LPL organisers will meet with Sri Lanka's health ministry on Wednesday, after which the path forward will be clearer.
Among SLC's requests is for players to be required to do a five to seven-day quarantine only, after which they could start their training within the LPL bubble.
In normal circumstances, the Lanka Premier League (LPL) is scheduled to be played from November 21 to December 13, 2020, at two venues -- Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Hambantota and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium (PICS) in Kandy.
In the LPL, five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna, will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title.
Colombo will take on Dambulla in the opening match in Hambantota on November 21. The final will be played on December 13 with December 14 as a reserve day.