Colombo: Angelo Mathews, captain of the Colombo Kings team which arrived in the Island Nation last evening, said that the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will bring great value to Sri Lanka cricket. All team members, coaches and support staff started arriving in Sri Lanka from Wednesday onwards and the last batch checked in at Shangrila Resort in Hambantota by Thursday evening.

Angelo, who will be joining the team straight from the national team’s practice on November 22, 2020, said: “I am very excited about LPL and we, Colombo Kings, have got a fantastic team and an excellent coaching staff! This tournament will bring great value to Sri Lankan cricket and we appreciate the hard work and support of Sri Lankan Government, the Sports Minister Mr Namal Rajapaksa, health authorities, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and all involved in making this a reality. I am sure this will bring lot of joy and happiness to our fellow Sri Lankans.”

Colombo Kings CEO Mr K Ganapathy said: “I am glad to have such an amazing and dedicated team which lights up my spirit. I am quite confident that they will leave no stone unturned and perform to the best of their ability and win the trophy.”

The LPL is scheduled to kick-off from 26th November till December 16, 2020 at Mahinda Rajapaksha International Cricket Stadium (MRIC) in Hambantota. Five franchisee teams, named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla and Jaffna, will compete in 23 matches over a 15-day period for the title. Colombo will take on Kandy in the opening match and the final will be played on December 16, 2020. A galaxy of global stars which includes Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Irfan Pathan and many more will be taking part in the 15-day extravaganza.

THE SQUAD:

Angelo Mathews (C), Andre Russell, Manpreet Singh Gony, Laurie Evans, Daniel Bell Drummond, Isuru Udana, Dinesh Chandimal, Amila Aponso, Ashan Priyanjana, Ravinderpal Singh, Qais Ahmad, Dushmantha Chameera, Jeffrey Vandersay, Theekshila De Silva, PHT Kaushal, Lahiru Udara, Karim Khan Sadeq, Dhammika Prasad, Himesh Ramanayake, Kalana Perera, Tharindu Ratnayake and

Navod Paranavithana. Coach: Hershel Gibbs. Assistant Coach : Rangana Herath. Director : Shadab Jakati.