Tillakaratne Dilshan, Herschelle Gibbs, Matt Prior, Monty Panesar and a host of Pakistan cricketers will be seen playing in the inaugural edition of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) T20.
The tournament’s first iteration is scheduled to be held between August 6 and 16, with a total of 6 teams battling for supremacy. These teams – Bagh Stallions, Mirpur Royals, Muzaffarabad Tigers, Overseas Warriors, Kotli Lions, and Rawalakot Hawks – have now made some prominent signings for the season.
Dilshan, the explosive former Sri Lankan opening batsman, will be seen playing for Muzaffarabad Tigers. Ex England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has been roped in by Kotli Lions that have appointed Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman as their skipper.
Prior, Panesar’s former teammate and one of England’s best wicketkeeper-batsmen, will ply his trade with the Rawalakot Hawks, who have Shahid Afridi as their captain. Former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs will be playing for the Imad Wasim-led Overseas Warriors.
Besides Zaman, Afridi and Wasim, the Pakistani contingent of maiden KPL T20 also features the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Tanvir, Sohaib Maqsood, Kamran Akmal, Asif Ali, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain, Ahmed Shahzad, and Hussain Talat, Haider Ali and Azam Khan.
Shehryar Khan Afridi, the chairman of Kashmir committee, said the objective behind KPL T20 is to explore and highlight the depths of talent in the valley and put Kashmir on a global sporting map.
“Sports is the best form to help in the transformation of any part of the world and we have seen how individual sportsmen have transformed their countries globally,” Khan was quoted as saying by AFP last month.
The KPL T20, Khan hopes, “will become a buzzword globally as it would promote Kashmir at the highest level.”
