IPL players to join Sri Lanka T20 World Cup squad in USA

• Sri Lanka team leaves for T20 World Cup on 14 May

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Team Yellow Captain Wanindu Hasaranga

Team Red Captain Charith Asalanka

Team Green Captain Janith Liyanage

Sri Lanka has submitted a preliminary squad of 25 players instead of a 15-member squad to meet the ICC deadline of 1 May for the ICC T20 World Cup which is to be held in the USA and the Caribbean from 2 to 29 June.

The ICC has mandated that the preliminary 15-member squads must be submitted by 1 May with room for changes until 22 May.

Chairman of cricket selectors Upul Tharanga said that they had got permission from the ICC to send a preliminary squad of 25 players with the selection of the final 15 being made during the triangular T20 tournament organised by Sri Lanka Cricket at the R Premadasa Stadium from today till 11 May.

The three squads for the triangular T20 comprises players selected in the preliminary 25 sent to the ICC with the exception of those playing in the IPL.

Currently, Sri Lanka has five players involved in the ongoing IPL – Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana (with Chennai Super Kings), Nuwan Thushara (Mumbai Indians), Dushmantha Chameera (Kolkata Knight Riders) and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (Sunrisers Hyderabad).

The Sri Lanka team for the T20 World Cup is due to leave for the USA on 14 May to acclimatise to the conditions and align with the ICC’s invitation for teams to arrive in the USA and West Indies by 25 May.

Tharanga said the IPL players will not be available for the triangular T20 tournament, but the players selected in Sri Lanka’s final 15 will travel straight to the USA and join the rest of the squad.

The teams for the SLC triangular T20 practice tournament will be captained by Sri Lanka T20 Captain Wanindu Hasaranga (Team Yellow), Charith Asalanka (Team Red) and Janith Liyanage (Team Green) with each team comprising 14 players. The teams for the triangular have yet not been finalised.

The T20 Match Practice Schedule

2 May: Team Yellow v Team Red

4 May: Team Red v Team Green

5 May: Team Yellow v Team Green

8 May: Team Red v Team Yellow

10 May: Team Green v Team Red

11 May: Team Green v Team Yellow