Galaxy of global stars to descend in Sri Lanka for LPL

• Gayle, Afridi, Plunkett, Faf, Miller, Brathwaite, Malik are major foreign signings 
• Mathews, Malinga, Thisara, Kusal Janith are key locals  
• Whatmore, Moin Khan and Hashan Tillakaratne in coaching staff
• Manpreet Gony & Manvinder Bisla Indian representative in LPL   

World T20 cricket’s biggest star, West Indies legend Chris Gayle is all set and ready to roar in the Lankan Premier League (LPL) 2020 after he was picked as one of foreign icons by Kandy Tuskers in the Players Draft.

The draft, held online, also saw Colombo Kings picking up former Sri Lanka captain in all formats Angelo Mathews, former South African skipper Faf du Plessis and Jamaican all-rounder with more than 300 T20 matches under his belt, Andre Russel among others. 

Mathews is the local icon in the team while Faf and Russel are the two overseas icons. The Kings also picked Sri Lanka-born former Australian player and coach, the man who took Sri Lanka to the top of the world in limited overs cricket when the Island Nation won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996, Dav Whatmore, as part of the coaching set-up.  

Apart from Gayle, the Tuskers also picked up Kusal Janith as the local icon while England’s Liam Plunkett is the second foreign icon in the team. The Tuskers also have former Sri Lankan captain Hashan Tillakaratne in its coaching staff. 

Galle Gladiators have Lasith Malinga as the local icon while Shahid Afridi and Colin Ingram are the two overseas signings and the team will be coached by former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan. Dasun Shanaka is the local icon for Dambulla Hawks while David Miller and Carlos Brathwaite are the overseas signings. The Hawks team will be coached by former English cricketer Jon Lewis. Jaffna Stallions have Thisara Perera as the local icon and Dawid Malan as the overseas signing. 

In attendance during the draft were Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Vice President and LPL Tournament Director Ravin Wickramaratne, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, franchisee owners and head coaches of each team. Renowned International Cricket Commentators Charu Sharma and Roshan Abeysinghe were the co-hosts of the LPL draft. 

The LPL is scheduled to be played from 21 November to 13 December at two venues—Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. Teams will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title.