| BANGALORE:
Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment Ventures Pte Ltd. (SEV) has procured the
rights of Sri Lanka’s Inter-Provincial Cricket Tournament (IPCT) which comprises
all formats of cricket, including 4 days, ODIs and T20 games for a period of five
years.
Currently, the tourney has most of the top Sri Lankan cricketers
from the national side participating in it each year representing various Provinces.
Previously
known as the Inter-Provincial Tournament, the event will now be renamed the ‘Sri
Lanka Premier League’ (SLPL).
Announcing
its first calendar, the SLPL Tournaments, which are ICC sanctioned, will be played
over two distinct periods each year, in December & January and in July &
August. The 50 over and T20 formats will be played in December and January while
the 4 day version will be played in July and August. In
order to avoid duplication and provide viewers and sponsors with a slightly different
experience, the SEV-SLC team has striven to differentiate the SLPL from other
leagues. For
starters, SLPL will have five teams playing three formats for the top slot and
not just the winner of any one particular format. The idea behind this is to strike
a good balance for current and future cricketers to showcase and nurture their
talents across various formats. The
ultimate winner of the SLPL will be that Provincial team which will accumulate
the maximum number of points across the formats. Somerset
Entertainment Ventures COO Kunal Bhargava said, “SEV has appointed Asia’s
leading sports marketing agency and content distributor Total Sports Asia (TSA)
as its representative for all commercial arrangements based on its long standing
relationships and excellent track record for being the best in the business. “ “With
this appointment, our aim is to revolutionize cricket in Sri Lanka and make domestic
Sri Lankan cricket one of the most sought after Tournaments to watch out for around
the world,“ said Total Sports Asia, CEO, Marcus Luer.
The
first such tournaments showcasing domestic Sri Lankan cricketing talent is the
participation of the Wayamba 11s at the 2010 ICC Champions League to be held in
South Africa this September which will be broadcast globally via ESPN and Star
Sports. The
SEV team comprises Chairman, Sandeep Bhammer, ex-head of Ten Sports Chris McDonald,
sports economists and Director of Sports at the Cass Business School, City University,
London, Stefan Szymanski, Bhargava, Mahendra Bhammer and Vishal Bhammer. | 
