LPL stars to go under the hammer on October 1
Some of the top notch white ball cricketers will go under the hammer when a virtual player auction for the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) takes place on October 1.
Sri Lanka Cricket has forwarded a list of 150 players to the event organizer IPG (Innovative Production Group) from which 30 players will make the cut.
Among them are West Indies stars Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Carlos Brathwaite and swashbuckling Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Shoib Malik who will feature in the 23-match tournament which will be held from November 14 to December 6 in Pallekele, Hambantota and Dambulla.
Bangladesh’s veteran player Shakib Al Hassan and other stars like Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mahamudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim are expected to play an iconic role in the tournament.
The LPL will feature 30 foreign players and 65 local cricket stars will be vying in 23 matches in five teams which have been named representing the five main provinces in Sri Lanka.
Five teams Colombo Lions, Dambulla Hawks, Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Cobras and Kandy Tuskers will be the competing. Only the Galle franchise has found an owner.
Former Pakistan cricket Shahid Afridi has been named as captain of the Galle Gladiators and former Pakistan wicket keeper Moin Khan as the coach.
It will be an enthralling cricket carnival in Sri Lanka featuring with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta approaching the venues.