Ali’s ICPL second edition begins next week

The second season of the International Cricket Premier League (ICPL) will be held in Colombo commencing from January 13, 2017. Organized by Ali Tours and Travels– a leading travel company in India, the tournament will see six academy teams vying for the coveted title.

The first round matches will be played at the P Sara Oval while the semis and final will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in the morning sessions on January 19. The final will be played under lights on January 19th at the R Premadasa stadium followed by the closing ceremony.

The teams participating are Chilaw Marians, AAN Sports, Ali’s Warriors, Joy Bangla, YCA Bahrain and Banglore Star. The tournament will kick off with Chilaw Marians taking on Joy Bangla at 10 a.m followed by Chilaw Marians taking on Ali’s Warriors at 2 pm in their second match at P Sara Stadium.

The much awaited second season will witness an intense battle between six teams run by cricket Academies in different part of the world where each team will feature six U-19 players. The tournament will be played on T20 format where two groups of four teams each competing for the four semi-final spots.

The tournament was launched at a gala ceremony in Colombo late last year.

Speaking at a gala launch held at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo Ali Asfak Thara– owner of Ali Tours and Travels and the main organizer of the Ali’s ICPL said that his main objecting in organizing the tournament was to provide exposure to future champions.

“In ICPL, we try to tab the budding talents and expose them to the international pitches as we are confident that this exposure would help them in the future of their cricketing career,” said Ali Asfak speaking at the press conference.

Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya is the brand ambassador of the tournament in Colombo.

There will be trophies and cash prizes for the winners and runners up, man of the match, man of the series, best batsman, best bowler and best fielder’s. Special trophy will also be rewarded to the team deemed to have best upheld the spirit of the game in accordance with its highest values. A core committee of the umpires and the match referee along with the officials of ICPL shall adjudicate the winner of these awards.