Former star all-rounder of the Indian cricket team, Irrfan Pathan, has shown a keen interest in participating in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The Twenty20 Cricket tournament is set to hit the road in August. The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has apparently shown the green light to Irrfan’s request for participation in the LPL.
Irrfan’s name will be available in the player’s draft for the selection by one of the five franchises who will be the part of the 23-match tournament. New Zealand’s swashbuckling opener, Martill Guptill is another star entry among the 143 international players wilful of playing in the Sri Lankan League.
“There are about 143 overseas players in the list who are very keen to play in this tournament and now it is up to the respective franchises to select these cricketers”, adduced an official of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to the Sri Lankan newspaper Daily News on Friday.
Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna are the franchised teams that will be competing against each other in the League. The SLC is yet to announce the franchise owners of the teams
Irrfan Pathan’s participation will be a major head-turner in the tournament, especially owing to the calibre of his performance in the IPL matches that he played till last year.
The Twenty20 Cricket tournament will be hosted at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Dambulla Stadium, Pallekele Stadium, and Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota. The SLC is planning to host the league in the presence of a limited number of spectators, however, they are waiting for the Government’s clearances and will only proceed further after proper calibration of the situation in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
Irfan Pathan drafted among 70 foreign players for forthcoming Lanka Premier League
