Hasaranga, Udana and Thisara for Caribbean Premier League

Wanindu Hasaranga 

• Lanka Premier League rescheduled for Nov.-Dec.

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Three Sri Lanka cricketers, two current and one recently retired, have been picked for the ninth edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which will run from 28 August-19 September.

The CPL is not going to clash with the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as it has been postponed for November-December according to Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Mohan de Silva. Therefore there is a very good chance of the three Lankan cricketers participating in the Caribbean T20 tournament. SLC has given them the NOC (No Objection Certificate) to participate.

However SLC has not finalised the dates for South Africa’s tour to Sri Lanka in September, which comprises three ODIs and three T20Is. There is a possibility of some of the matches clashing with the CPL, which is due to end on 19 September.  

Leg-spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been picked by St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots that also has West Indies stars Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis, Sheldon Cottrell and Fabien Allen and South African players Rassie van der Dussen and Anrich Nortje.

Left-arm fast bowling all-rounder Isuru Udana has been chosen by Trinbago Knight Riders that comprises West Indians Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons, New Zealand’s Colin Munro and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza. Both Hasaranga and Udana figured in the recently concluded ODI series in Bangladesh.

Seam-bowling all-rounder Thisara Perera who recently retired from international cricket has found a place in the Barbados Tridents team that has West Indians Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers and Oshane Thomas and South Africa’s Chris Morris, Pakistanis Mohammad Amir and Azam Khan and, England’s Samit Patel.

Initially the proposed dates decided by the Sri Lanka Cricket Management Committee for the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) was from 30 July-22 August, but due to the current situation in the country, there were doubts of it going ahead on those dates.

SLC Vice-President Ravin Wickramaratne said that only two windows were available to them – the July-August window and the November-December.

“The only thing with December is that there are six countries playing with each other in their home series. So getting down the players will be a big problem. Anyway, we will have to meet the Sports Minister and explain to him the scenario, after that only we can decide. Everything is indecisive at the moment,” he said.

Wickramaratne said that if the second edition of LPL goes ahead it will probably be held in Hambantota once again.

“We can’t play at three venues, at one venue it is easy to control. For quarantine purposes also, it is easy and it is centralised in one place,” he said.

Thisara Perera