Sri Lanka Cricket has announced fresh dates for the much-awaited T20 league – Lanka Premier League (IPL) is all set to kickstart from November 14th to December 6th. LPL is set to get a huge boost as the league will be featuring some of the big names from the cricket world.
Meanwhile, World Cup 2011 hero Munaf Patel and Indian pace veteran Praveen Kumar have confirmed their participation in the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League.
Anil Mohan, the chief of the Innovative Production Group, revealed that the two will be participating in the much-awaited league. He also revealed some of the big names that will also join the tournament after the IPL 2020 comes to an end on November 10.
He revealed:
“These stalwarts have confirmed to be the mentors for the various teams. We are also approaching Kumar Sangakkara to be associated with one of the franchise teams,” he was quoted as saying by Pakobserver.net.
“Some more will join after IPL. We are given the list (by the SLC) and former Indian fast bowlers Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar have agreed to play the LPL. Even the Pathan brothers may play”
For the unversed, BCCI doesn’t allow active players to feature in overseas T20 tournaments. Since Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar have retired from the game, they can become the T20 freelancers and take part in such overseas leagues. Yuvraj Singh, Manpreet Gony are among the few cricketers, who have participated in overseas leagues.
Meanwhile, the Lanka Premier League will also see some legendary players including the likes of Sir Vivian Richards, Brian Lara, Wasim Akram, and Shoaib Akthar who are likely to be associated as mentors. The tournament will be played in Dambulla, Kandy, and Hambantota. Five franchises that are named after the cities of Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna will participate in the league.
