Star India, the heavyweight pay-TV broadcaster, has snapped up exclusive rights to Sri Lankan men’s domestic cricket’s Lanka Premier League (LPL) Twenty20 tournament in the Indian subcontinent, and the North Africa and Middle East (MENA).
Specifically, the deal for the LPL from July 30 to August 21 covers India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives, as well as MENA.
The 2023 LPL will be the fourth edition of the T20 tournament, which debuted in 2020. There will be 24 matches in total between the five competing teams across two cities, Colombo and Kandy.
The deal was concluded by Star with Innovative Production Group (IPG), the official organizer and commercial rights partner of the LPL through a tie-up with Sri Lanka Cricket.
Star also holds the domestic TV rights for the iconic Indian Premier League men’s T20 competition until 2027. In addition, it has a deal in place with the International Cricket Council governing body for the next four years.
The first three editions of the LPL were covered in India and the rest of the subcontinent by Sony Pictures Networks through a deal struck in 2020.
There has also been previous domestic coverage in place (at different points) from Supreme TV, Daraz, and ADA Derana.
Anil Mohan Sankhdhar, IPG Group’s founder and chief executive, said: “With committed stakeholders like Star Sports, we are very excited to bring the global cricketing audience an opportunity to not only witness an extremely competitive and captivating brand of T20 cricket but also dish out unmatched non-live cricketing content for fans across India, Sri Lanka, the subcontinent and MENA region.”
International stars set to take part in this year’s LPL include Babar Azam, Shakib Al Hasan, and David Miller.
