Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has introduced a bizarre criteria for foreign players wishing to participate in the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). Along with some other criteria, the cricket board clearly stated that their social media account is required to have a significant number of followers.
That rule created a stir on social media platforms. It was clear that the cricket board’s aim was to increase the popularity of the league through ‘star’ power. Around the world, franchises bring in players on the basis of statistics, performance, experiences, but not on the basis of social media followers.
SLC removes its bizarre norms after strong backlash
But SLC wanted those particular cricketers who have a substantial amount of fans on their respective social media accounts. After strong backlash on the internet, SLC is reportedly scrapping its plan.
On 9 May, Newswire reported, “Following backlash on social media and criticism from some sections of the cricket community, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed the controversial social media followers requirement for Icon and Star category players in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide.”
It further added, “The updated version 1.5 of the LPL Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide, released on May 9, no longer includes the previous requirement that players in the Icon and Star categories have more than 250,000 followers on social media.”
What was the previous benchmark?
In the previous notification issued by Sri Lanka Cricket, it was said that for players under Icon and Star category, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has removed the controversial social media followers requirement for players under Icon and Star category in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide following the reaction on social media and criticism from some sections of the cricket community.
An updated version 1.5 of the LPL Season 6 Player Registration and Draft Guide, released on May 9, no longer includes the previous requirement that players in the Icon and Star categories have over 250,000 followers on social media; Gold category players were required to have 150,000+ followers. Other cricketers, who were not considered among the big names in world cricket, were asked to show “reasonable fan base and commercial appeal” on their respective social media accounts.
Previous Notification for LPL Foreign Player Category Rules:
|
Social class |
cricket criteria |
social media requirement |
|
icon |
75+ T20Is, 100+ Franchise T20s, 30 matches in last 18 months |
250,000+ followers |
|
star |
50+ T20Is, 100+ Franchise T20s, 30 Recent Matches |
250,000+ followers |
|
Sleep |
30+ T20Is, 75+ Franchise T20s, 20 Recent Matches |
150,000+ followers |
|
classic |
20+ T20Is, 50+ Franchise T20s, 20 Recent Matches |
“Reasonable fan base and commercial appeal” |
As soon as it came into the news and other public domains, it went viral among cricket fans and eventually became a topic of discussion for the entire cricket fraternity. Later, as reported, SLC has removed its share from the notifications.
Read More: LPL introduces shocking social media followers rule for players ahead of Season 6
