- Kandy picks Chris Gayle & Liam Plunkett; Malinga, Afridi go to Galle
Colombo: Former Sri Lanka captain in all formats Angelo Mathews, former South African skipper Faf du Plessis and Jamaican all-rounder with more than 300 T20 matches under his belt, Andre Russel are some of the top names picked by the Colombo Kings franchisee in the Lanka Premier League Player’s Draft today. Mathews is the Local Icon in the team while Faf and Russel are the two overseas icons.
Sri Lanka-born former Australian player and coach, Dav Whatmore, the man who took Sri Lanka to the top of the world in limited overs cricket when the Island Nation won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996, is part of the coaching set-up of the Colombo franchisee in the League. Apart from Sri Lanka, Whatmore has coached Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
Among others, Kandy Tuskers picked up Kusal Janith as the Local Icon while Chris Gayle and Liam Plunkett were picked as the two overseas signing. The team will be coached by Hashan Tilakratne. Galle Gladiators have Lasith Malinga as the Local Icon while Shahid Afridi and Colin Ingram are the two overseas signing. The team will be coached by Moin Khan. Dashun Shanka is the Local Icon for Dambulla Hawks while David Miller and Carlos Brathwaite are the overseas signing. The Hawks team will be coached by Jon Lewis. Meanwhile, Jaffna Stallions have Thisara Perera as the Local Icon and Dawid Malan as the overseas signing.
The Draft was held online and in attendance during the draft were IPG CEO Mr Anil Mohan, SLC VP Mr Ravin Wickramaratne, SLC CEO Mr Ashley de Silva, franchisee owners and head coaches of each teams. The Lanka Premier League is scheduled to be played from November 21 to December 13, 2020 at two venues—Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. Teams will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title.