All contracted red-ball players of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), have been mandated to play the forthcoming National Super League (NSL) four-day tournament and those who forgo participation in it will stand to lose their contracts, SLC Tournament Committee (TC) Chair Samantha Dodanwela said.

He said this decision has been taken by the TC, in order to encourage long-format players to compete in the domestic circuit’s leading competition and also due to the fact that national players are having a long respite from international commitments.

“It’s after a long time that our red-ball players are having a break from international duty,” Dodanwela said.

“In previous years when this tournament came around, most of our red-ball players were busy with their international assignments. But, this time the scenario has changed and that is why we decided to make it compulsory for them to play in it. Also there is much enthusiasm among players to feature in this tournament, as they know that if they opt out of it they stand to lose their contracts with the SLC. Hence, we hope to see a very competitive tournament shortly,” he said.

The country’s red and white-ball squads are currently experiencing an unprecedented hiatus from international cricket, following the end of their home Test and ODI series against Australia early last month.

Their next international assignment will be in June-July this year, when Bangladesh is slated to arrive for a series comprising two Tests, three ODIs, and a similar number of T20Is.

The Chair of Tournament Committee stated that close to 100 players will be involved while squads consisting of 20 players are expected to represent teams from Colombo, Jaffna, Dambulla, Kandy, and Galle, in a tournament which he termed as the main feeder system to the national team.

He was of the view that each of the five teams will have an equal proportion of national players in their ranks, further enhancing the competitive nature of the tournament, while producing quality cricket for the discerning followers of the game. 

According to him, the tournament which is due to get underway on 13 March is scheduled to last till end May, with Galle entering the tournament as defending champions, having clinched the title under national cap Ramesh Mendis last year. Kandy, led by another national player Lasith Embuldeniya emerged as runners-up in 2024.

The National Super League (NSL) will consist of 10 games in the preliminary round after which the top two teams in the points table at the end of the preliminary phase are set to contest the final at the SSC grounds.

The SLC Tournament Committee has decided to play the preliminary round fixtures at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, and at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. 

(JK)