Sri Lanka, May 23 -- Lanka Premier League organisers have said they are "in the final stages of confirming the new ownership" of the Dambulla franchise, a day after Dambulla Thunders co-owner Tamim Rahman was arrested.

As a result of the arrest, under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, the Thunders franchise was terminated by Sri Lanka Cricket and the IPG group (which runs the tournament), on Wednesday. Although the scheduled start of the next LPL is a little over five weeks away, IPG has announced that the tournament will go ahead with its "full schedule and roster of matches, featuring five teams."

Since its inception in 2020, the LPL has been a five-team competition. On Tuesday, SLC hosted the player auction fo...