COLOMBO: Players like Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, South Africa’s middle-order batter David Miller, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and Sri Lanka’s leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will be in action in the fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 21.
The upcoming season of LPL will see the participation of five teams — Colombo Strikers captained by Ni-roshan Dickwella, Dambulla Aura captained by Kusal Mendis, Galle Titans led by Dasun Shanaka, B-Love Kandy captained by Wanindu Hasaranga and the defending champions Jaffna Kings, who will be led by veteran all-rounder Thisara Perera.
In terms of overseas contingent, Azam is amongst the 13 Pakistan players in the competition alongside Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Iftikhar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Aamer Jamal, Asif Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik, and Zaman Khan.
Other foreign players include Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman of Afghanistan, as well as Matthew Wade, Ben Cutting, Hayden Kerr, Alex Ross, and Chris Lynn of Australia. Joining Shakib in the competition is his Bangladesh teammate Mohammad Mithun.
Apart from Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chad Bowes, and Hardus Viljoen form the South African con-tingent. Tim Seifert and Lorcan Tucker are the lone representatives from New Zealand and Ireland respectively in the tournament.
The teams will be facing each other twice in a round-robin league format in group-stage games starting from Ju-ly 30. The top four teams on the points table will qualify for the playoffs which will begin from August 17.
The final will be played on August 20 with August 21 kept as a rain reserve day. The tournament will be tele-casted live on Star Sports network, while the livestream will be available on the Fancode app for viewers in India. IANS
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