The Colombo Strikers franchise in the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2023) has announced their icon players for the upcoming season of the championship. Notably, Colombo Strikers are battling it out in their inaugural edition and have announced a star-studded list of icon players.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is the key element of the icon players list for Colombo Strikers. Azam will likely lead the franchise in the tournament. Apart from Azam, his pacing counterpart Naseem Shah has also been inducted as an icon player. From the home turf, T20 Stars Chamika Karunaratne and Matheesha Pathirana have been named as the icon players for Colombo Strikers.
Pakistan skipper and batter Babar Azam has paramount experience in the T20 domain as he has also led the Pakistan national team. Azam has amassed 9,201 runs in 260 T20 games with a brilliant average of 44.02.
Meanwhile, Naseem Shah has earned a glorious name in a very short time. Naseem has played 76 T20 games and scalped 73 wickets with a bankable average of 29.75.
Matheesha Pathirana has been simply astounding in the T20 circuit. Pathirana has been commendable for the Chennai Super Kings franchise in the Indian Premier League. Pathirana has featured in 20 games and chipped in 22 wickets.
Chamika Karunaratne carries with him a mammoth experience as he is one of the most fascinating Sri Lanka T20 players. Chamika has played 93 T20 matches and scored 726 runs along with chipping in 60 wickets.
Addressing the media, Colombo Strikers Chief Sagar Khanna said that they are extremely delighted to have the powerhouse players represent the newly introduced franchise for the upcoming edition of LPL. Furthermore, he stated that they will certainly make a noteworthy contribution to the team’s success.
The fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will be played between July 30 and August 20, 2023.
LPL 2023 Auction
The franchises will be allowed to spend $500,000 in the auction, which will be held on June 11. Organizers have confirmed that over 500 players have registered for the auction. This will be the first time the LPL will be played in its intended July-August window.
Franchises will have an extra $500,000 to sign players prior to the auction, a sharp increase from last season’s $350,000 cap. Teams have already snapped up some of the biggest stars in international cricket, including Pakistani skipper Babar Azam. Teams will have a three-year contract with players and will have the option to retain or release them on mutual consent at the end of each season.
The LPL is a popular cricket tournament in Sri Lanka and is expected to attract a large number of fans this year. The tournament is expected to generate significant revenue for the Sri Lankan economy.
Also Read: ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier Schedule
