LPL will benefit Sri Lanka's cricket, says Angelo Matthews

Sri Lanka all-rounder and Colombo Stars skipper Angelo Matthews said that tournaments like Lanka Premier League would benefit the country's cricket by getting new young players.

Sri Lanka all-rounder and Colombo Stars skipper Angelo Matthews said that tournaments like Lanka Premier League would benefit the country's cricket by getting new young players. The T20 fever officially hit the islands of Sri Lanka on Sunday as the second season of the Lanka Premier League took off with a glitzy opening ceremony in front of a host of fans at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Commenting on the occasion, Angelo Mathews, Captain of Colombo Stars and Sri Lankan legend said all countries have this kind of tournament and it benefits the country's cricket. "You know, all the nations are having this kind of a tournament and it benefits the country's cricket because you produce so many young players and you give them the exposure playing with international stars so, yeah, it's great exposure for all of them. LPL is a great platform for the budding stars and it is going to benefit Sri Lanka cricket a lot," he said, according to an official release.

Anil Mohan - Founder and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL said, "An explosive start is very important for any competition and what a start it was on Sunday. I would like to thank Sri Lanka Cricket, all the sponsors and broadcasters and most importantly the fans of Sri Lanka cricket, who showed their passion and love for their favourite stars at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. We look forward to a fantastic tournament." The Lanka Premier League, which will have five teams competing for the trophy - Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Kings, Dambulla Giants, Kandy Warriors and Colombo Stars, is all set to take even bigger strides this year.

The Galle Gladiators gained the first-mover advantage in the opening match of the Lanka Premier League 2021 on Sunday after they defeated Jaffna Kings by 54 runs in Colombo. Gladiators Captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 56 runs off 31 runs and helped his team post a total of 164/7. Player of the Match Samit Patel said, "LPL is a great tournament to play in. It has great pitches and some very special people playing it. Great Talent Sri Lanka have got here and experience and exposure like this will make them even better."

A total of 24 matches will be played in the Lanka Premier League 2021. The final round games will see the top two teams in the points table playing the qualifier 1, whilst the 3rd and 4th placed teams on the table playing in the 'eliminator.' The winner of 'qualifier 1' will directly go into the final, whilst the loser of 'qualifier 1' will play against the winner of the 'eliminator' in the 'qualifier 2', and the winner of that game will go into the final. The final will be played on December 23, 2021, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota. (ANI)

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