Lanka Premier League postponed for the third time

Tournament now scheduled to be held at only one venue

LANKA PREMIER LEAGUE STAR SIGNINGS: West Indies batsman Chris Gayle - Kandy Tuskers. Sportzpics for BCCI

England's World Cup winner Liam Plunkett - Kandy Tuskers. Getty

Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Wahab Riaz - Kandy Tuskers. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Star West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell - Colombo Kings. Sportzpics for BCCI

South African batsman Faf du Plessis - Colombo Kings. Sportzpics for BCCI

Indian batsman Manvinder Bisla - Colombo Kings. AFP

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi - Galle Gladiators. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammed Amir - Galle Gladiators. AP

Afghanistan batsman Hazratullah Zazai - Galle Gladiators. Satish Kumar for The National

South African batsman David Miller - Dambulla Hawks. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite - Dambulla Hawks. Getty

England batsman Dawid Malan - Jaffna Stallions. AFP

Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik - Jaffna Stallions. Pawan Singh / The National

Pakistan fast bowler Usman Shinwari - Jaffna Stallions. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Sri Lanka delayed the Lanka Premier League tournament on Friday for a third time and cut the number of venues to one from three as coronavirus infections surge.

The start of the 23-match league, which is set to feature Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Shahid Afridi and Carlos Brathwaite, was put back six days to November 27, the cricket board said.

A statement said all the games will now be behind closed doors in the southern town of Hambantota with the final on December 17.

The league was originally scheduled for August but was moved to November 14 and then November 21 because of the pandemic.

Sri Lankan officials said health authorities have agreed to a shorter seven-day quarantine for players, but insist on 14 days of isolation for support staff.