The Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) has secured significant exposure ahead of its debut next month after ESPN Star Sports (ESS) agreed a multi-year broadcast deal for the new Twenty20 cricket tournament.

The pan-Asian sports broadcaster will televise a minimum of 24 SLPL matches per season, with the inaugural season of the League due to run from August 11-31. Star Cricket, Star Sports and ESPN will broadcast all the matches live and exclusive in India. The ESS deal also includes live coverage of the SLPL in its host nation, along with the territories of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Peter Hutton, managing director of ESPN Star Sports, said: “(The SLPL) is an excellent addition to Star Cricket’s remarkable catalogue of content in the next year, headlined by India’s home series against Pakistan, England and New Zealand, the ICC World T20, the Champions League T20 and the ICC Champions Trophy.”

He added: “Sri Lanka Cricket becomes the sixth cricket body with whom we are working on the shortest form of the game. Our coverage of Australia’s Big Bash and the T20 leagues in England and Bangladesh have already shown our commitment to the format, and we look to further growing our live cricket content.”

The SLPL was scheduled to commence last year, only for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to be forced into a last-minute postponement after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused permission for its players to participate. The League’s seven teams will represent the provinces of Basnahira, Kandurata, Nagenahira, Ruhuna, Uthura, Uva and Wayamaba, with the matches being staged in Colombo and Kandy.