- Conducting LPL amid Covid spike derives criticism
- * SLC, IPG, and Govt. take up herculean task
- * Are the intentions for betterment of sport or otherwise?
The Sri Lanka Government’s allowance of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) to go ahead, from 27 November to 17 December at Hambantota, has caused elation among some, come as a rude shock to many, and caused utmost bewilderment among some of the public whom we talked to following the announcement of the decision last Thursday (5).
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Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Namal Rajapaksa[/caption]
Sri Lanka needs to get used to living with the Covid-19 pandemic; we ought to start our day-to-day work and, at some point, we need to begin international sport, which has been halted since March. No two words about that!
But, is this the right time, or the right way to take that initiative – a calculated risk?
And, furthermore, did the decision to hold the event at this juncture stem from a positive, nationalistic objective? Or is it due to a selfish, money-oriented, and individualistic requirement?
An idea on the herculean logistical and organisational challenges the SL Govt., SLC, and the IPG are going to take on by holding the LPL at this hour.
* The Covid-free bio-security bubble is to be formed; i) from the various points of departure of the crews/players/coaches/officials/staff in their respective countries, ii) to the Mattala Int’l Airport, iii) and the hotel/s at Hambantota, iv) the training facility/ies at Hambantota and the vicinity, and v) the MRICS at Sooriyawewa
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LPL Tournament Director Ravin Wickramaratne[/caption]
* The hotels, transportation, medical staff for quarantine requirements and conducting PCR tests, etc. need to be ready within at least less than a week from Friday (6 Nov) because the technical crews, etc. should reach Sri Lanka at least by 13 November if they are to fulfil their 14-day quarantine requirement here
* All local players reportedly need to start their quarantine at least by 13 November
* All overseas players have to be flown in from India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), etc. at least by 20 November for them to have seven days of quarantine here
* The duration the “bio-bubble” needs to last is a minimum of 35 days (because as of now, the tournament is to go on till 17 Dec)
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IPG Chairman Anil Mohan[/caption]
* There will be 23 T20 matches played within 21 days only at a single venue, the MRICS, unless the organisers are going to reduce the number of matches or shrink the schedule by having more “double-headers” (two matches on a single day)
* The only model the LPL organisers can emulate, on conducting a multi-team tournament involving participants from various countries within a “bio-bubble”, is the Indian Premier League (IPL) which is going to end on Tuesday (10)
Here are some pertinent questions that arise when we look at the way the authorities decided to start the LPL from 17 November:
* Are the organisers – the SLC and the event rights holders IPG – taking an unnecessary risk by holding the LPL in the height of a Covid-19 wave?
* Is this a wise move to make a statement that the country is adapting to the “new normal” during the pandemic, adhering to the health guidelines?
* Sri Lanka’s international sports should start somewhere, but is this the right time, or the right way to do it?
* Is the reason for holding the LPL – visibly in a mighty haste – the necessity to ascertain that some persons/parties involved in it are gaining undue financial benefits?
* Or else, is it because some may lose an avenue to gain undue financial benefits if it is not going to be held?
* Can a single ground accommodate such a large number of matches (23) within a span of such a short period (21 days) of time?
* Is it a scenario where the organisers are putting top national players in undue risk of exposure to the coronavirus and injuries, for their selfish needs?
* The organisers are yet to announce what parties have actually bought at least two of the teams/franchises; Colombo Kings (captained by Angelo Mathews and coached by Dav Whatmore) and Dambulla Hawks (coached by Jon Lewis)
* Is the covert regional match-fixing nexus involved in buying some franchises?
* Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Namal Rajapaksa seems intent on taking a bold initiative to create a strong sports-related industry in Sri Lanka, but holding the LPL is, in hindsight, exposing our entire national cricket talent quite cheaply to the dangerous match-fixing agents who look to flourish in games that are held behind closed doors nowadays
* Do some of leading stakeholders of the LPL themselves have a notorious track record regarding match-fixing?
* Will the players have to shuttle from Hambantota, and nearby Matara and Galle, to have their regular net practises during the LPL – as there are no net facilities there other than at MRICS – making the tournament schedule a huge burden for them?
* Will the Sri Lanka Test team, who are to play the important “Boxing Day Test” in Centurion against South Africa from 26 December have to leave the island just days after the LPL?
* When can they practise for day-time red-ball Test cricket while spending their time with white-ball T20 cricket under lights, up until a week a before the very start the two-match series in South Africa?
* Will this put the plans of Sri Lanka Head Coach Mickey Arthur and the National Selection Committee, headed by Ashantha De Mel, for the South Africa Tests in complete disarray?
Notes:
- SL – Sri Lanka; 2. SLC – Sri Lanka Cricket; 3. IPG – Innovative Production Group; 4. LPL – Lanka Premier League; 5. MRICS – Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium at Sooriyawewa in Hambantota, in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka; 6. The MRICS is approximately 30 minutes (about 18 km) from the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, off the Hambantota-Gannoruwa-Meegahajandura Road.
