Aditya ChaudhuriSri Lanka’s governing body for cricket, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has zeroed in on a date for the launch of its inaugural T10 league. Dubbed as the “Lanka T10 League”, the competition is currently scheduled for a June 2023 launch and will host both the men’s and the women’s tournaments concurrently, although exact details are awaited.
SLC has also confirmed that the first edition of the league will have six men’s teams and four women’s teams taking part, and that each team will be named after a Sri Lankan city. The exact dates haven’t been announced yet, but the tournament will have 16-member squads. SLC is expecting around 1,600 player registrations for the player draft.
Dubai-based firm TTen Global Sports, which is also the organiser of the Abu Dhabi T10 League, will serve as the event organiser here as well.
Shaji Ul Malik, Chairman, TTen Global Sports, said:
“The biggest challenge we faced when launching the format was to be recognized internationally. ICC wanted three full-member nations to sanction the tournament and endorse their players for the tournament. We are truly in debt to SLC, because they were the very first full-member nation to sanction and endorse us. So, thank you, Sri Lanka Cricket. We have been steadily making progress as the fastest-growing format of the game. Last year at the Abu Dhabi T10, we had 400% growth with more than 500 million in viewership.
“We are delighted to launch the world’s fastest format of cricket, the Lanka T10 League in Sri Lanka, which is a landmark move being the First full member board to launch this format. SLC has always supported Tten since its inception in 2017 and we look forward to building further on this partnership.“
Shammi Silva, Honorary President, Sri Lanka Cricket, added:
“The introduction of the fastest cricketing competition in Sri Lanka is definitely a great addition to our cricketing calendar, and we are happy to be a part of the forward journey of the game, which continues to evolve to be on par with the changing dynamics in the global sporting arena, and I wish to commend TTen Global Sports for its role in this latest initiative.“
Mohan de Silva, Honorary Secretary, Sri Lanka Cricket, stated:
“We are extremely happy to announce the launch of the Lanka T10 League, which is the shortest format of the game, and I am confident that this competition will provide entertainment and excitement to the fans, quality competition for the players, and valuable exposure for the stakeholders.“
