Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) could be forced to reconsider the dates for the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 or shift it outside the country in Malaysia or UAE after reports emerge that a strict quarantine for the five-team tournament remains an issue for the overseas cricketers.
The competition, for which an online draft took place recently, is due to kickstart on November 21, less than two weeks from the end of IPL 2020 in UAE on November 10.
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The shift to the Island nation would've been comfortable despite the COVID-19 pandemic for a lot of IPL stars and other touring cricketers that have signed in LPL.
"However, the 14-day quarantine that Sri Lanka's health ministry is insisting on increasingly appears a dealbreaker for some foreign players, as well as an operational obstacle for broadcast crews and commentators set to come for the tournament," stated a report by ESPNcricinfo.
The SLC, desperate to fulfil its longstanding dream this year, is considering three options.
"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," tournament director Ravin Wickramaratne told ESPNcricinfo.
"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."
"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. 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."
A clearer picture on the matter is expected on Wednesday (November 4) when SLC officials and tournament organisers meet Sri Lanka's health ministry.
The board wants the quarantine period for arriving cricketers to be relaxed to a five to seven-day window only before they can train and take part in the on-field action.
As it stands, the LPL T20 is scheduled to be played in Hambantota and Pallekele till December 13.
