FreeSports, the UK free-to-air television channel that is the sister of pay-TV's Premier Sports, has secured exclusive live coverage rights to the 2021 season of the Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka's top-tier domestic men’s Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Through the deal, FreeSports will show all 24 matches of what is the league’s second season, which begins on Sunday (5 December) and runs through until 23 December.

The opening game of the new season, in which Galle Gladiators face Jaffna Kings, will also be broadcast free-to-view on the Premier Sports 2 channel.

The 2021 season will be contested by five teams in total, with Colombo Stars, Dambulla Giants and Kandy Warriors the other three.

FreeSports takes the UK rights from pay-television giant Sky, which held them for the inaugural edition of the league last year.

Supreme TV, a local Sri Lankan broadcaster, has the exclusive domestic coverage rights for the tournament in a multi-year deal.

The FreeSports deal follows the recent appointment of Marron Media, the Australian sports agency, as the global broadcast rights holder for the league for a second consecutive year with a remit to sell them worldwide.