Salman Khan's family buys Lankan Premier League franchise Kandy Tuskers
Lankan Premier League (LPL) franchise Kandy Tuskers has been bought by actor Salman Khan’s family. The Bollywood star's father Salim Khan and younger brother Sohail are part of the consortium that has invested in the franchise.
The tournament was initially scheduled in August 2020 but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will now be held from November 21 to December 13, 2020, with five franchises fighting for the title.
The Khans told Times of India that they see a lot of ‘potential’ in the proposed league.
“Given the players we have in our team, the league in general and the passion of the fans, which are second to none, we see a lot of potential,” Sohail Khan said.
The LPL auctions took place on October 19th amid some confusions regarding the availability of players. But the player drafts have now been completed and Sohail Khan was happy with the team that they managed to put together. He said:
“Gayle is obviously the Boss Man, but we have a very good team. Kusal Perera is our local icon and we also have Liam Plunkett, Wahab Riaz, and Nuwan Pradeep among others. It is a good balance of youth and experience.”
Sohail Khan also vowed to the fans that Salman would attend all the Kandy Tuskers (KT) matches in the LPL.
LPL will have five franchises battling it out in the middle
Apart from the Kandy Tuskers, there will be four other franchises in the LPL, namely: Dambulla Hawks (DH), Galle Gladiators (GG), Jaffna Stallions (JS) and Colombo Kings (CK).
In addition to the Sri Lankan players, the international stars drafted to participate in the league include the ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle (KT), Andre Russell (CK), Shahid Afridi (GG), Faf du Plessis (CK), Liam Plunkett (KT) and Carlos Brathwaite (DH).
Indian cricketers Manpreet Singh Gony and Manvinder Bisla will also be part of the LPL. Both of them will be representing the Colombo Kings.