Premier cricket comes aboard from December 1
View(s):
Sri Lanka Ports Authority (batting) made their way into the Premier Tier 'A' Cricket Tournament this season - File pic
Sri Lanka Cricket will commence its first class season with the three-day Premier League Cricket tournament, 2017/2018 starting December 1. The tournament of 24 clubs will be played in two tiers—A and B.
Tier A will consist of the top 14 clubs who will initially play in two groups of seven teams before the top four in each group play against each other in the Super Eight tournament. The remaining six teams will play for the Plate Championships.
The Super Eight matches will be played across four days and set to begin on January 19, 2018. Kicking off the first class tournament, defending champions SSC will meet bottom ranked Moors in their opening fixture, followed by Saracens vs CCC, Port Authority vs Chilaw Marians, NCC vs Baduraliya, BRC vs Army in Tier A matches starting from December 1. The Tier B matches will also begin simultaneously.
Last year Tier B tournament was rocked by an alleged match-fixing incident unusual match patterns were reported in the match between Kalutara PCC and Panadura SC.
Meanwhile at the end of the Premier League Tournament, country’s top 60 cricketers will play the four-team Super Provincial Tournament, which will sit above the first-class tournament.
The four teams—Colombo (Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara), Galle (Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Monaragala, Ratnapura and Badulla), Kandy (Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Ampara, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Kegalle) and Dambulla (Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Matale)—are based on the four Centers of Excellence being formed around four international venues in each province.
| Group ‘A’ Group ‘B’ Sinhalese Sports Club Chilaw Marians CC Ragama Cricket Club Nondescripts Cricket Club Colombo Cricket Club Army Sports Club Colts Cricket Club Tamil Union C & AC Saracens Sports Club Burgher Recreation Club Bloomfield C & AC Badureliya Cricket Club Moors Sports Club Sri Lanka Port Authority SC | |
Premier League Tournament 2017/2018
Dec 1-2-3:
SSC vs Moors SC; Ragama CC vs Bloomfield; Saracens SC vs CCC; SLPA SC vs Chilaw Marians; NCC vs Badureliya CC; BRC vs Army SC
Dec 8-9-10:
Ragama CC vs SSC; Colts CC vs Bloomfield; Moors SC vs Saracens SC; Chilaw Marians vs NCC; Badureliya CC vs Tamil Union; BRC vs SLPA SC
Dec 15-16-17:
SSC vs Saracens SC; Colts CC vs Ragama CC; CCC vs Moors SC; Chilaw Marians vs BRC; NCC vs Tamil Union; Army SC vs SLPA SC
Dec 22-23-24:
Bloomfield vs SSC; Ragama CC vs Saracens SC; CCC vs Colts CC; Chilaw Marians vs Badureliya CC; NCC vs BRC; Army SC vs Tamil Union
Dec 28-29-30:
SSC vs CCC; Saracens SC vs Colts CC; Bloomfield vs Moors SC; Chilaw Marians vs Army SC; Tamil Union vs BRC; Badureliya CC vs SLPA SC
Jan 5-6-7:
CCC vs Ragama CC; Moors SC vs Colts CC; Saracens SC vs Bloomfield; Army SC vs NCC; SLPA SC vs Tamil Union; BRC vs Badureliya CC
Jan 12-13-14:
Colts CC vs SSC; Moors SC vs Ragama CC; Bloomfield vs CCC; Tamil Union vs Chilaw Marians; SLPA SC vs NCC; Badureliya CC vs Army SC