Inter-provincial tournament to have foreign players in new concept
Sri Lanka will be inviting some top notch overseas cricketers to take part in the forthcoming Inter-Provincial T20 series on the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Several top level cricketers from New Zealand have been approached by the marketing agents of the Somerset Entertainment Group, which holds the rights of the Inter-Provincial T20 tournament in Sri Lanka.
Ross Taylor, who was sold for a whopping 1.3 million dollars in the IPL auction last week, is one player who has been approached, the Sunday Star-Times of New Zealand reported. Wicket keeper batsman Brendon McCullum and all-rounder Jacob Oram too have been approached by the marketing agents. These players will be paid around 20,000 to 30,000 dollars for the two week event.
The tournament is scheduled to be sandwiched between Sri Lanka's tour to England and Australia's tour of Sri Lanka this year.
"It's somewhere in July-August", said a cricket official, who declined to reveal more details of the competition.
Some 25 overseas players have already been looked at and four players per team will be allowed. In case the marketing agents are able to find more players; the tournament will be expanded to seven provincial teams.
Around 90 top level Sri Lankan cricketers have been divided into five Provincial teams in the Inter-Provincial limited over tournament which is currently being held. Basnahira, Wayamba, Kandurata, Ruhuna and Uva are the five Provincial teams taking part in the competition.
Analysts believe cricketers the all over the world will have a tough time as virtual mercenaries with an endless chain of cricket in various parts of the world.
The flagship event of the ICC, the Cricket World Cup starts on February 19 and ends on April 2. A week later the IPL starts in which almost all of the top cricketers take part until May 22.
Soon after, Sri Lanka embarks on a grueling tour of England for a three match test series and a One Day International series. When the best 15 Sri Lanka cricketers are in England, the rest of the of players will be engaged in the Inter-Club T20 tournament in Sri Lanka.
The team will return to the island only days before the Inter-Provincial T20 tournament. "I know they are interested in me but I haven't seen a finalised contract and I haven't signed a contract," Oram told the Star-Times on Sunday.
Two years ago, Sri Lankan opener T. M. Dilshan was hired by Northern Districts of New Zealand for a T20 domestic competition in New Zealand.
Sri Lanka is set to earn 300,000 US dollars per tournament and the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee, Nishantha Ranatunga confirmed that this year's amount has already been paid by the rights holders.
"We didn't even have sponsors for our Inter-Provincial tournaments in the past but it's really good that we can earn some money now with this kind of concept", Ranatunga said.
Sri Lankan Cricket authorities will have to spend around 10 to 15 million rupees each year for logistics of the Inter-Provincial T20 cricket tournament.