Over 500 overseas players register for LPL 2024 auction

The fifth edition of the Lanka Premier League will begin on July 1 and ahead of the same, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that over 500 overseas players have registered for the upcoming auction. The likes of New Zealand Test captain Tim Southee, along with James Neesham, Mushfiqur Rahim, Usman Khawaja, Tabraiz Shamsi, Najmul Shanto, Jason Behrendorff, Reece Topley, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and many other key international players to have registered for the mega tournament.

Meanwhile, the governing council is yet to announce the date for the auction. It is expected to take place before the T20 World Cup, which is slated to begin on June 1, but none of the details have been confirmed by SLC. On the other hand, the T20 World Cup will end on June 29 in the West Indies, while LPL will begin on July 1 is something that the board needs to address. In case, Sri Lanka qualifies for the finals of the competition, it would be difficult for the organisers to begin the tournament on the slated date.

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The upcoming edition will once again feature five teams as it has been since its inception. A total of 24 matches will be played, which includes each team playing each other twice in the league stage. After the league stage, the qualifier will take place, which will be followed by two eliminator matches and the final on July 21.

Notably, like 2023, LPL will be competing against The Hundred and Major League Cricket (MLC), which is slated to begin on July 4. A lot of key international players have already signed for various franchises in the MLC and The Hundred will also target others in the draft. The governing council of the LPL needs to act fast about the auction in order to secure the players, or else they might be in problem with the availability of the foreign cricketers.