Chris Gayle and Andre Russell lead overseas names picked up in Lanka Premier League draft

Three Englishmen were also drafted: Liam Plunkett will join Gayle at Kandy, Dawid Malan will represent Jaffna Stallions and Samit Patel will play for Dambulla Hawks along with Ireland’s Paul Stirling

Andre Russell and Chris Gayle lead a list of big names signed in the draft for the inaugural Lanka Premier League.

The West Indian pair will represent Colombo Kings and Kandy Tuskers respectively in the five-team tournament that is scheduled to begin on November 21.

The competition and its draft have undergone several delays as a result of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Sri Lanka.

The start date has been pushed back a week from November 14 due to the compulsory 14-day quarantine period that any overseas player entering the country will be forced to observe.

Lanka Premier League squad lists

Other notable international stars picked up in the draft include Faf du Plessis, Shahid Afridi, David Miller, Carlos Brathwaite, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz.

Three Englishmen were also drafted: Liam Plunkett will join Gayle at Kandy, Dawid Malan will represent Jaffna Stallions and Samit Patel will play for Dambulla Hawks along with Ireland’s Paul Stirling.

The tournament is due to take place at two grounds: Kandy and Hambantota, with all 23 matches – played by five teams – set to be played at the pair of venues. Every side will play each other twice in a double-round-robin phase, before a playoff stage.

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