Sri Lanka Premier League 2020: Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar confirm participation

Sri Lanka Premier League 2020 was scheduled to take place between August 28 and September 20, in which 23 matches were to be played. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the tournament has been postponed till November-December. However, the league has managed to garner a lot of curiosity amongst the cricket fans with the names of several high-profile players being a part of the league doing the rounds.

The latest players reportedly claim two former India seam bowlers Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar. Both right-hand bowlers who had announced their retirement from all forms of cricket in 2018 are set to embark on a new journey with the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020. The confirmation for the same was given by Anil Mohan, the head of the Innovative Production Group. The Dubai-based Innovative Production Group is the official marketing rights holder for the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020.

Munaf Patel and Praveen Kumar to join Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan in Sri Lanka Premier League 2020?

Munaf Patel, who last played for India in 2011, was an integral part of the ICC 2011 World Cup-winning Indian squad. The 37-year-old dealt with several injuries after the World Cup and could not stage a comeback into the Indian team as the younger generation of fast bowlers took over. Munaf Patel was a part of the Gujarat Lions franchise in IPL 2017 and had a lacklustre season as he was included in the playing XI only twice and could not manage to make the most of the opportunity. Considering the injuries that Munaf Patel has dealt with in his career, and with age not on his side as well, it will be to interesting to see him perform once again in the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020 after such a long break. Munaf Patel has 74 wickets to his name in 63 IPL matches.

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Praveen Kumar, on the other hand, was also a part of the ICC 2011 World Cup squad for India but was ruled out of the tournament because of an injury. This says a lot about the cricketer’s career. Known for swinging the ball a long way, his career also was hampered by injuries. Kumar’s last IPL stint too was with the Gujarat Lions. He has a decent season with them in IPL 2016, where has was also adjudged the Player of the Match against Kolkata Knight Riders. However, he could not cement his place in the playing XI for Gujarat Lions side the following year and last featured in an IPL match in 2017. Praveen Kumar announced his retirement from all formats of the game in October 2018. The medium-pacer from Uttar Pradesh finished his IPL career with 90 wickets in 119 matches.

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Big names from international cricket roped in for Sri Lanka Premier League 2020

The management has added high-profile Pakistani cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez in the initial list of icon cricketers. Moreover, international players such as AB De Villiers, Eoin Morgan, Yuvraj Singh, Sunil Narine, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Chris Gayle, Alex Hales, Shane Watson and Shakib Al Hasan could also feature in the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020. With Yuvraj Singh reportedly coming out of retirement to play T-20 cricket for the Punjab team, there seems to be a possibility about him participating in the Sri Lanka Premier League 2020. 

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The inclusion of Indian players is subjected to the issue of NOCs by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The tournament will feature 23 matches in total as each team is likely to play a minimum of 8 and maximum of 10 matches. The Sri Lankan board is leaving no stones unturned to ensure the league's success. Several high-profile names like Vivian Richards, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara have also reportedly been approached to be a part of Sri Lanka Premier League 2020.

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