• Great feedback and enthusiasm, says LPL Tournament Director Samantha Dodanwela

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be back for its 4th edition this year, with excitement already brewing among the passionate Sri Lankan cricketing fraternity. 

With the brand-new Player Auction announced last week, The Sunday Morning Sports sat down with Tournament Director Samantha Dodanwela to speak about the new developments. 

Following are excerpts of the discussion:

How is the preparation for LPL 2024?

Good. The most significant change is the Player Auction. The main reason we have decided to go with the auction this year is to change the system. We have been doing the draft for the last three years. I felt that we needed to hold an auction, since it will add more colour and glamour from day one. After we announced it at the press conference, the feedback and the enthusiasm from the public has been great. 

This year, it is clear that the team owners have also taken more interest. Unlike last year, this time they have already started their promotions. Colombo is participating in a big way. They are always in touch with me and want to know what is happening. Signing a player like Babar Azam added value to the tournament, which led to other teams also opening their eyes and bringing in big players. That’s good and that’s what we need.

What we actually need to do in this tournament is create that rivalry amongst teams. With the Indian Premier League (IPL), when Mumbai and Chennai play, you can see how the colours appear in the stands. This is what we need. I’m also thinking of allowing the public to come up with ideas about the colour of the clothing for each team. Last year many people said that the jerseys looked the same.

The Colombo Strikers have already created their colour – bright purple – which will add value. I think we all need to think out of the box. 

Some big names in franchise cricket have signed up, but many are uncertain about whether they will turn up. Can you give us any assurance on this?

These players we mentioned have already signed with agents. They will be available for sure, but we are in the final stages of clarifying certain things.

For example, these players have asked for certain payments, which we are working on. Babar has also agreed and we are now waiting for him to get the letter of no objection from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). I believe those things will definitely happen soon. 

IPL and even football leagues around the world play both home and away games, which makes the game more interesting. Do you think the LPL can inherit that?

That is one area that we are looking at. Consider the hype around the Bradby Shield encounter. Playing both home and away creates that rivalry. We are actually short of grounds. If you take the north, we don’t have a ground. We have no issues in Kandy, Colombo, and Galle. However, if we have mobile lights, we can play in Galle, which is an ideal place. Even at SSC, we are looking at getting mobile lights.

Hopefully I will receive the support of Sri Lanka Cricket. So far, they have always been cooperative and hopefully these things will happen.

Colombo had a change of owners; how did that happen? 

Although Softlogic came forward last year, at the end of the season they communicated to us that they would not join this time, mainly due to the economic situation. We were then looking for people and these new owners came to us. We checked their credentials through the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) as we always do and then got the green light. 

Personally, I feel that it’s good if one or two local companies come forward, which unfortunately didn’t happen. We’ve had discussions with John Keells but because of the current economic situation, nothing came through. Companies will show interest if this year’s edition goes well. 

How would you describe the relationship with IPG Group? Is it favourable? 

When we approached the market to receive interest from other parties, IPG was the only company which came forward. I think it is doing a reasonable job. We had issues at the beginning, but now Sri Lanka Cricket basically makes over $ 2 million while playing it safe. It knows that at the end of this tournament, it will make money. 

If I’m not mistaken, last year we made almost Rs. 300 million. Even if we make Rs. 100 million, that’s huge because we are also supporting the economy.

There was some speculation regarding the Mumbai franchise wanting to have a team in the LPL. Is there any truth to this? 

No, not exactly. The story came out because Mahela Jayawardene is involved in it. Some of the franchise owners have been looking at the LPL. We have to be very careful regarding these franchise owners and we have to always check their credibility. 

The only thing is that when some franchise owners come in, they make sure that they get the players they want, who then have to play in all other leagues as well. It’s good to see the interest; let’s see what happens. 

Regarding the time slot for the LPL in the busy cricketing calendar, how can a fixed time that is best for the league be arranged?

I have explained this to the CEO and the President and told them that we should not worry about what is happening in other countries if our league is good. If we decide on the timeframe, let’s stick to that. Unfortunately, we have some bilateral tours, the Pakistan boys are coming, and I think next year also we will struggle a bit due to the England tour. 

I want to give the players some free time as the modern game is played at high intensity levels and we have to protect the players. If I can get a whole month, I can add another team; otherwise it’s not possible. It’s not that I don’t want to do it, but we have to think about it realistically.