Sri Lanka to host men's T10 cricket tournament in December

The Sri Lanka Cricket board has announced that the country will host its inaugural men's T10 competition from December 12 to 22. This marks a significant milestone for SLC, which had previously focused on organizing T10 tournaments for women's cricket.

But with a partner - T Ten Global Sports - now involved, the board is confident it will get a T10 tournament off the ground in December, for the men. For now, the plan is for a draft to take place on November 10, and for six franchises to take part - one more franchise than has played in the five iterations of the Lanka Premier League, which is Sri Lanka's top T20 competition. Overseas players are expected to be involved.

"I am confident that the first ever draft of the Lanka T10 Super League is going to set the platform for an exciting and entertaining tournament, which will add color to the Sri Lankan cricketing calendar and bring in a new experience to our players and fans, alike," SLC president Shammi Silva said in the release.

With T Ten Global Sports also running ventures in Zimbabwe and West Indies, the draft's later rounds will involve selecting an emerging player from either of those nations.

The T10 tournament is slated for an 11-day window between the end of the second Test in South Africa, and the start of a white-ball series in New Zealand in late December. As such, most - if not all - of Sri Lanka's top men's players should be available for this tournament.