Sri Lanka Cricket has floated the idea of a women's T20 franchise competition to precede the men's Lanka Premier League (LPL) this year. But it appears that SLC would require substantial commercial interest before such a tournament can materialise.

On Thursday, SLC advertised for a "sports marketing/management" agency that would not only find franchisees for the participating teams, but also "partner with SLC as a sponsor of the tournament" in addition to other duties.

The tournament has been conceived as a four-team, 10-day affair, to be played at either Dambulla or Pallekele, within a bio-bubble. SLC is also hoping to attract foreign talent - both players and coaches - but it doesn't seem to be a deal breaker.

"Even if there are no foreign players, we will go ahead with the local players," SLC CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNcricinfo. "As for overseas coaches, depends on the offers that we get in terms of franchise owners for the teams." The tournament is currently slated for October.

SLC has largely ignored high-profile engagements for their women cricketers, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Sri Lanka side has not played an international match since the T20 World Cup in February and March 2020, and have seen more than one international series postponed indefinitely. They are due to feature in the delayed ODI World Cup qualifier scheduled for November-December in Zimbabwe.