LPL 2023 Players Auction, Rules, Direct Signings & Live Updates
Lanka Premier League is all set to become only the 4th T20 franchise competition that will have an auction held instead of the regular draft system we are used to seeing in Lanka Premier League in earlier seasons. The other T20 competitions with a player auction system are Indian Premier League, SA20 League & Women’s Premier League. It is a proven fact that having an auction system encourages more quality foreign cricketers to sign up for the tournament which ultimately helps the brand value of a league. Sri Lankan Cricket Board has been considering this model for some time and they finally got the investors on board to convert the LPL draft into LPL 2023 auction system.
LPL Auction 2023 Date
The Cricket Board of Sri Lanka has confirmed that the first-ever LPL 2023 players auction will be held on the 14th of June 2023 where each franchise will look to pick a maximum of 24 players or a minimum of 20 players into their squads.
LPL 2023 Auction Purse Value
LPL 2023 players auction is adopting a different approach than other leagues like IPL as they have allocated 50% of the total LPL auction purse value for the auction day while the 50% was made available to franchisees instantly for LPL 2023 auction players’ direct signings for big overseas and local players.
A total salary cap is set at 1,000,000 USD of which 500,000 USD will be used at the LPL 2023 players’ auction event day while the other 500,000 USD was given to each franchise to pick their LPL 2023 auction players’ direct signings. Each franchise is given an option to either pick 4 Direct Signings, with 1 Right to Match, or 3 Direct Signings with 2 Right to Match options.
Direct Auction Signings for LPL 2023
All five franchises participating in the Lanka Premier League 2023 have utilized some of their budget for direct auction signings and have named four players already. All the remaining budget will be utilized at the LPL 2023 auction event in the 2nd week of June.
Below is the LPL auction 2023 players list signed so far.
Colombo Strikers:
Babar Azam (Icon), Naseem Shah (Platinum), Matheesha Pathirana (Icon), Chamika Karunaratne (Platinum)
Kandy Falcons:
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Icon), Fakhar Zaman (Platinum), Wanindu Hasaranga (Icon), Angelo Mathews (Platinum)
Dambulla Aura:
Matthew Wade (Icon), Lungi Ngidi (Platinum), Kusal Mendis (Icon), Avishka Fernando (Platinum)
Galle Gladiators:
Shakib Al Hasan (Icon), Tabraiz Shamsi (Platinum), Dasun Shanaka (Icon), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Platinum)
Jaffna Kings:
David Miller (Icon), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Platinum), Thisara Perera (Icon), Maheesh Theekshana (Platinum)
All the players signed by the franchise through direct signings will be contracted for up to three years with franchises having the right to retain or release on mutual consent at the end of every Lanka Premier League season. If a contracted player is unavailable due to injury issues or International commitments then a mini-yearly auction will also take place to sign the partial replacements in this regard just like in other T20 leagues.
LPL 2023 Auction Rules
As per the initial details related to LPL 2023 auction rules, it has been confirmed that each franchise can pick a squad strength of 20-24 players including six mandatory overseas players and 14-19 domestic players. The total number of players available in the squad will depend on how the franchises utilize their budget and any funds which were not used from the direct signings kitty of 500,000 USD will be added to the auction purse available on the LPL 2023 auction day.
The bidding for the player named will be done between two teams at any given time while the third team can only join once the first two teams have withdrawn from the process.
There will also be an “accelerated auction process” after the first 70 players go through the bidding naming process. In this accelerated auction, franchises will name 15 to 20 players including unsold players previously which will go down the hammer.
Base Prices & Categories For LPL Auction 2023
The players are divided into two main categories which are capped and uncapped players. The capped players can register themselves for the LPL auction 2023 players list under base prices ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.
While the uncapped players have three different pricing structures defined which are as follows.
- $20,000 for players who have played a minimum of 50 first-class matches
- $10,000 for players who have played a minimum of 25 first-class matches or a minimum of 18 matches at the LPL or any other T20 league
- $5,000 for those who don’t meet the criteria mentioned above.
When Will Lanka Premier League 2023 be Played?
Sri Lankan Cricket Board when announcing to start off their own T20 league named Lanka Premier League originally planned to host it in July/August every year but due to uncontrollable circumstances like Covid-19 and last year was re-scheduled due to the economic crises in the Island country. But this year LPL 2023 is finally scheduled to be played in July/August on two different venues like Colombo and Kandy. SLC is making sure that the LPL 2023 is completed 5 days before Caribbean Premier League starts as they have to release some of the players who will feature in the CPL T20 2023 as well.
Changes in Ownerships of LPL Franchises
This year Colombo Strikers and Kandy Falcons have had changes in the franchise ownership with team Colombo Strikers now owned by New York-based Skky Group which also owns a franchise in the Abu Dhabi T10 tournament named as New York Strikers. Team Colombo was earlier called Colombo Stars but is now re-branded to Colombo Strikers while Kandy Falcons is now owned by Parvez Khan (Pacific Ventures Limited).
Where To Watch LPL Auction 2023 Live Streaming
The LPL 2023 players’ auction can be watched by Sri Lankan home fans on ADA Derana as well as on Sony Entertainment Sports Network. Indian fans will also be eager to watch how SLC organizes the LPL auction 2023 as it is being formatted in the IPL manner and the good news is SonyLIV and Ten Cricket will provide the LPL auction 2023 streaming in India. Viaplay has the official broadcast rights for the LPL auction in the UK while Fox Sports will be broadcasting the historic LPL auction event in Australia.
Fans can also stay informed with live LPL auction 2023 updates on this page or you can follow the official social media pages of Lanka Premier League and all five franchises participating in the tournament on all popular social media platforms.
To watch LPL 2023 Live Streaming, fans from India and other parts of the sub-continent region can enjoy the live coverage on the SonyLIV app which is available on both Android and iOS devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the money from the pre-signing kitty if it is not spent?
If the money from the pre-signing kitty is not spent, it cannot be carried over to the auction. Teams have a right-to-match option for their players, and the money for that has to come from within the auction kitty.
What is the right-to-match option for teams and how does it work?
The right-to-match (RTM) option allows a team to retain a player from the previous season by matching the highest bid for that player during the auction. The money for the RTM must come from within the team’s auction kitty.
How are uncapped players classified and priced in LPL 2023 auctions?
Imagine a tree with three branches, representing different levels of experience. Uncapped players in LPL 2023 are classified and priced according to how many matches they’ve played, with base prices of $20,000, $10,000, or $5000.
How many international players are allowed per team in the LPL 2023 squad?
Each team in LPL 2023 can include a maximum of six international players in their squad. The tournament consists of five teams with a total purse of US$ 500,000 each.
What is the criteria for a player to be categorized as an uncapped player in LPL 2023?
To be categorized as an uncapped player in LPL 2023, a player must have played a minimum of 50 first-class matches or a minimum of 25 first-class matches or 18 matches in the LPL or any other equivalent T20 franchise league. Those who do not meet these criteria have a base price of $5,000.
Will there be any changes to the format of the LPL 2023 playoffs compared to previous editions?
No, there will be no changes to the format of the LPL 2023 playoffs compared to previous editions. The top four teams from the league stage will advance to the playoffs.
