The first edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) will be a 7 team inter-provincial tournament played next year(2012). The 7 teams will be Kandurata Kites,Basnahira Bears,Wayamba Wolves,Ruhuna Rhinos,Uva Unicorns, Nagenahira Nagas & Uthura Oryxes.
Team Captains:- KK - Kumar Sangakkara ,
BB- Thilakaratne Dilshan ,
WW- Mahela Jayawardene,
RR- Sanath Jayasuriya,
UU - Chaminda Vaas,
NN- Shahid Afridi
UO- Daniel Vettori
The teams will play each other once, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The winner of the tournament will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20.
Each team will have a mix of Sri Lanka and international players with total squad sizes between 16 and 18 players. The playing XI must consist of a minimum of seven Sri Lanka players and a maximum of four international players, with one Sri Lanka player being a current Under-21 cricketer. Each team will also have its share of icon or marquee players, as well as a prominent ex-Sri Lanka player as a mentor or coach.Among the international players who will be taking part are Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Shahid Afridi, Daniel Vettori, Daniel Christian, Herschelle Gibbs and Kevin O'Brien. International players will also be assigned to the various teams by the SLC national selection committee depending on the needs of each team. In this respect, SLC's approach differs from the IPL, in which teams were sold to franchises who then bid for players in an auction.
The league will be run by the Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment, which has bought the rights for five years. The television rights for the tournament have already been sold in Sri Lanka and the goal is to broadcast the tournament across all mediums in every cricketing nation.
