THE SUCCESS OF THE INAUGURAL LPL 2020
Like in the enthralling game of cricket that the stars achievements endure to posterity, likewise the 20-20 Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 will surely do. The dust’s settled on the historic inaugural tournament of its kind ushered in by the controlling nerve center of the game, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), but the in essence footprints of its smashing success will endure. While it produced a champion team in the Jaffna Stallions, it also produced several star performers and as equally significantly showcased the organising depth to it. It was the snowballing sky high fruition to new vistas in a newness that enveloped our cricket in one, mighty atom of enthralling action that the T20 short version of the game is renowned for. That its specialty was derived by the very nature or tournament format from the Indian Premier League of bringing together to one stage a mixture of latent talent from diverse countries was indeed the high point of it all. As it has been the firing elementary bottom line towards the tremendous success of Indian cricket with the advent of the now world populous Indian Premier League (IPL) that has spurred other cricket playing countries to follow suit, the undoubted success of the Lanka Premier League that kissed our cricket shores does certainly hold great promise for the future of Sri Lankan cricket.
In effect, it is the very mingling of different players from different countries in such a different, novel cast that has been the core to its deriving success story. That in this trepidation the IPL and the LPL are an insight to the Kerry Packer World Series cricket on a different format is a significant homage to the man who changed the course of world cricket on its head.
It is the turning point – the internationalisation of Sri Lankan cricket that has kissed its very doorstep; a ballooning change in firmly teething and arming latent talent from the grass root level that Sri Lanka Cricket has wrung in. While some of the top players stole the limelight, some of the lesser known local players making an impact did underline the plus factors of such a tournament as the inaugural LPL by all accounts did carry the trappings of changing the course of Sri Lankan cricket in time to come. That it has been in perspective the defining line or turning point to the country’s cricket is indeed the cascading high point to taking Sri Lanka cricket to the next level.
The inaugural Lanka Premier League saw Jaffna Stallions led by Thisara Perera win prize money of Rs.18,500,000 (18.5 Million Rupees) and runners-up
Galle Gladiators skippered by Bhanuka Rajapaksa pocket prize money of Rs. 9,250,000 (9.25 Million Rupees) while the Player of the Series,
Wanindu Hasaranga of Jaffna Stallions won Rs. 1,850,000 (1.85 Million Rupees).
