Countries | Sri Lanka |
---|---|
Administrator | Sri Lanka Cricket |
Format | First-class cricket |
First edition | 1988–89 |
Tournament format | Two group leagues and a final between group winners |
Number of teams | 26 |
Current champion | Colombo Cricket Club (8th title) |
Most successful | Singhalese Sports Club (32 titles) |
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The Major League Tournament (formerly known as the Premier Trophy) is the main domestic first-class cricket competition in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1938 and has existed under a number of different names. Matches before the 1988–89 season are not considered first-class. Relaunched as the Lakspray Trophy in 1988–89, it was renamed as the P. Saravanamuttu Trophy in 1990–91 and as the Premier Championship in 1998–99. There was a change of format in 2015–16 when it became the Premier League Tournament which was split into Tiers A and B the following year.[1]
The league was cancelled in 2020–21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then a new temporary tournament was introduced in 2021–22 called the National Super Provincial 4-Day Tournament.[1] This was contested by five provincial teams: Colombo District, Dambulla District, Galle District, Jaffna District and Kandy District.[2] They played each other once each and then the top four went into a knockout semi-final round followed by a championship final in which Kandy District defeated Jaffna District, 7–10 April 2022.[3]
Ahead of the 2022–23 season, the competition was relaunched with a rebranding as the Major League Tournament. The 26 first-class clubs are split into Groups A and B, each team playing the others in its group once each, and the two group winners meeting in a championship final.[4]