The Lanka Premier League (LPL) has reversed a controversial policy requiring cricketers to hold minimum social media followings for elite player categories.
Sri Lanka Cricket has officially removed the social media follower requirement from the Lanka Premier League Season Six player registration and draft guidelines.
The administration published a revised Player Registration and Draft Guide on Saturday, formally eliminating the previously mandated follower thresholds for elite categories.
Under the scrapped rule, national and international cricketers seeking Icon and Star category status needed a minimum of 250,000 followers across their social media accounts.
The Gold category had separately required players to maintain at least 150,000 followers on social media before qualifying for inclusion in that player tier.
The original draft document, released just one day earlier, had tied commercial demand and large fan followings to player classification eligibility requirements.
Backlash and criticism
The policy from the T20 league drew immediate and widespread criticism from cricket fans and commentators across social media platforms following its initial release.
Critics pointed out that Sri Lanka Cricket had previously instructed national players to limit social media use and concentrate solely on their cricketing performance.
Supporters and analysts argued that selections for the premier Twenty20 tournament of Sri Lanka must reflect playing ability and experience over online popularity.
