LPL 2020: 3 Indian players who will be taking part in Lanka Premier League this season
The inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL 2020) will get underway later this month in the island nation. Big names in the cricketing world such as Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Russell, Shahid Afridi, and many others will compete against each other in Sri Lanka.
LPL 2020 will take place entirely in Hambantota. Five teams, namely the Kandy Tuskers, the Jaffna Stallions, the Dambulla Hawks, the Colombo Kings, and the Galle Gladiators, will be a part of the inaugural season of the Lanka Premier League.
The tournament will also feature three former Indian cricketers, and here's a look at those players.
3. Irfan Pathan will play for Kandy Tuskers in LPL 2020
Bollywood actor Salman Khan's family owns the Kandy Tuskers in the Lanka Premier League. A few days after the LPL 2020 Draft, Sohail Khan announced that the former Indian all-rounder, Irfan Pathan, would represent their franchise.
The southpaw was in action during the Road Safety World Series 2020, where he represented the Indian Legends. Pathan looked in great touch in that competition as he scored a match-winning 31-ball 57 against the Sri Lankan Legends.
Pathan is currently a part of the commentary panel for IPL 2020. He will likely begin his practice sessions soon as the Baroda-based player has not played any matches in the last eight months.
2. Manvinder Bisla is a part of the Colombo Kings in LPL 2020
Former Kolkata Knight Riders wicket-keeper batsman Manvinder Bisla had come into the limelight after his epic knock against the Chennai Super Kings in the 2012 IPL final. Bisla's 48-ball 89 powered KKR to their maiden IPL title.
In the next season, the right-handed opener registered a couple of 50+ scores for the Kolkata-based franchise. However, a string of poor performances led to Bisla's exit from the squad. He joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015 but could manage only 37 runs in two innings.
Ultimately, even RCB released him from their team. Bisla had been a part of the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) in 2016, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in LPL 2020 as part of the Colombo Kings franchise.
1. Colombo Kings signed Manpreet Gony in LPL 2020 Draft
Manpreet Gony had won the IPL 2010 title with the Chennai Super Kings. The right-arm fast bowler even played a couple of international matches for the Indian cricket team following his impressive performances for CSK.
Unfortunately, Gony could not make it big as his inconsistency hurt him a lot. The 36-year-old played for the Deccan Chargers, the Kings XI Punjab, and the Gujarat Lions before his IPL career ended. Gony played 44 IPL matches and picked up 37 wickets.
Gony played for the Toronto Nationals in the Global T20 Canada League last year. He was also the only Indian player to participate in the Qatar T10 League in December 2019.
He will play along with Faf du Plessis, Isuru Udana, Dinesh Chandimal, and Angelo Matthews as part of the Colombo Kings in LPL 2020.