The much anticipated Lanka Premier League (LPL) player auction is set to get underway at 12 p.m. today (21) at the Colombo Hilton, with Charu Sharma being the auctioneer, having done the job during its inaugural auction last year.

The auction will witness some 420 players going under the hammer with 154 of them being Sri Lankan with the rest from abroad.

According to the LPL organisers, the auction will have a collective purse of US$ 2.5 million from each of the five franchise teams while each franchise is due to bring in a sum of US$ 500,000. 

The organisers have announced that the teams in the fray will have to ensure that they invest a minimum of 90 percent of the purse they bring into the auction to form their respective squads.

The LPL is set to be contested between defending champions B-Love Kandy, Jaffna Kings, Galle Marvels, Dambulla Thunders and Colombo Strikers at grounds in Kandy, Dambulla and Colombo from 1-21 July.

List of Retained and Pre-Signed Cricketers

Galle Franchise 

Maheesh Theekshana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella, Tim Seifert and Alex Hales

Kandy Franchise

Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, Dushmantha Chameera, Kamindu Mendis, Andre Fletcher, Kyle Mayers

Jaffna Franchise

Kusal Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka, V Viyaskanth, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmed.

Colombo Franchise 

Chamika Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Sadeera Samarawikrama, Nipun Dhananjaya, Shadab Khan and Glenn Philips

Dambulla Franchise 

Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Dushan Hemantha, Pravin Jayawikrama, Mustafizur Rahman, Ibrahim Zadran