The popularity of T20 Cricket has been reached to the some another level of height in the last one decade with many test playing nations have started their own T20 leagues like Big Bash League (BBL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Pakistan Premier League (PSL). In recent times, the cricket board of Sri Lanka was looking to start their own T20 tournament so that their young players who are looking to play for Sri Lanka get more experience while playing against world-class players.
With the 13th edition of IPL having ended Sri Lanka board has come with the plan to start the inaugural season of Lanka Premier League (LPL) from November 26 with two teams Colombo Kings and Kandy Tuskers will lock horns at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. With the first-ever season there will be five franchises who will play against each other in the 23 games of the tournament. The five franchises would be Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Stallions, Colombo Kings, Kandy Tuskers and Dambulla Viking.
There was news earlier over the popularity of LPL 2020 as the big names of the tournament have decided to not take part into the league. Still there are players who have entered the isolation after they tested positive for Covid-19. Like the other T20 tournaments there is an equation of overseas players to play in the LPL 2020.
Having said, here is the complete list of the overseas players who are playing in the LPL 2020.
Kandy Tuskers - Brendon Taylor (Zimbabwe), Irfan Pathan (India), Munaf Patel (India), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan), Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan)
Dambulla Viking – Sundeep Tyagi (India), Samit Patel (England), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Lendl Simmons (West Indies), Aftab Alam (Afghanistan), Anwar Ali (Pakistan), Samiullah Shenwari (Afghanistan)
Colombo Kinge – Ravinderpal Singh (Canada), Andree Russell (West Indies), Manpreet Gony (India), Laurie Evans (England), Qais Ahmad (Afghanistan), Karim Khan Sadeq (Afghanistan), Daniel Bell-Drummound (England)
Galle Gladiators – Chadwick Walton (West Indies), Ashan Ali (Pakistan), Abdul Nasir (Pakistan), Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Waqas Maqsood (Pakistan), Mohammed Amir (Pakistan), Azam Khan (Pakistan), Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan)
Jaffna Stallions – Tom Morres (England), Johnson Charles (West Indies), Kyle Abbott (South Africa), Usman Shinwari (Pakistan), Shoaib Malik (Pakistan), Duanne Olivier (South Africa)
Lanka Premier League 2020 Full Schedule:
November 26 – Kandy Tuskers vs Colombo Kings
November 27 – Galle Gladiators vs Jaffna Stallions
November 28 – Dambulla Viiking vs Kandy Tuskers
November 28 – Colombo Kings vs Galle Gladiators
November 30 – Dambulla Viiking vs Jaffna Stallions
November 30 – Galle Gladiators vs Kandy Tuskers
December 1 – Dambulla Viiking vs Colombo Kings
December 1 – Kandy Tuskers vs Jaffna Stallions
December 3 – Jaffna Stallions vs Galle Gladiators
December 3 – Kandy Tuskers vs Dambulla Viiking
December 4 – Jaffna Stallions vs Colombo Kings
December 5 – Galle Gladiators vs Dambulla Viiking
December 5 – Colombo Kings vs Kandy Tuskers
December 7 – Galle Gladiators vs Colombo Kings
December 7 – Dambulla Viiking vs Jaffna Stallions
December 9 – Jaffna Stallions vs Kandy Tuskers
December 9 – Dambulla Viiking vs Galle Gladiators
December 10 – Colombo Kings vs Jaffna Stallions
December 10 – Kandy Tuskers vs Galle Gladiators
December 11 – Colombo Kings vs Dambulla Viiking
December 13 – First Semi-Final
December 14 – Second Semi-Final
December 16 – Finals
