Jayasuriya among top picks in SLPL

Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya (L) performs during the launch of this season’s Colors television channel Hindi reality dance show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ in Mumbai

Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lanka opener, was one of six players to be valued at the maximum price of $35,000 in the local player portion of the draft for the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League. The other five other players valued in the top bracket were current Sri Lanka internationals Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and Rangana Herath. In all, 107 local players were drafted.

The 43-year-old Jayasuriya, who played for the Mumbai Indians in the first three seasons of the IPL, was selected in the ninth round by Kandurata on Friday in Colombo. Jayasuriya also played for Khulna in the first season of the Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year. Chandimal was the first Sri Lanka player to be drafted when he was selected by Wayamba with the day’s first pick. Perera and Kulasekara were the second and third players picked, by Kandurata and Nagenahira respectively, while Uthura selected Kapugedara with the fifth pick, according to the results released by Sri Lanka Cricket.

Herath was taken in the second round by Basnahira. Chaminda Vaas, the former Sri Lanka fast bowler, was valued at $25,000 and selected by Wayamba in the 11th round.

Angelo Mathews was named icon player of Nagenahira, taking the place of Shahid Afridi. The franchise had decided to release Afridi before the international players’ draft as they wanted an icon player who would be available through the tournament – Afridi could potentially miss the semi-finals and finals of the SLPL due to the recently announced Pakistan-Australia series.

On Thursday, 56 foreign players were picked by the seven franchises via the same draft system, giving each franchise a preliminary list of 24 players. The teams will now prune that list down to 18 players comprising 12 Sri Lankan and six foreign players, one of the tournament organisers told ESPNcricinfo. The remaining six players – four Sri Lankan and two foreign – then become part of the supplementary list for their respective teams. In case of an injury to a player in the primary squad, teams will be allowed to replace the injured player with a player from the supplementary list.

One player who is likely to find himself on the supplementary list is Adam Voges, who was picked up by Kandurata. Voges is currently Nottinghamshire’s Twenty20 player and the county insists his obligations at Trent Bridge will be met in full.

Preliminary SLPL squads

Uthura: Shakib Al Hasan, Brendan Taylor, Kevon Cooper, Imran Farhat, Fidel Edwards, David Miller, Dillon du Preez, Samuel Badree, Chamara Kapugedara, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Janak Gunaratne, Nilanka Premaratne, Mahela Udawatte, Chathura Peiris, Akalanka Ganegama, Roshen Silva, PHD Kaushalya, Sandun Weerakkody, Madra Lakmal, Sohan Boralessa, Yohan de Silva, Madushanka Ekanayake, Muttiah Muralitharan

Nagenahira: Mitchell Marsh, Imran Nazir, Travis Birt, Ahmed Shehzad, Ben Laughlin, Elias Sunny, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nasir Hossain, Nuwan Kulasekara, Angelo Perera, Ajantha Mendis, TM Sampath, Sachith Pathirana, Suraj Randiv, Gayan Maneeshan, Chammera Dushmantha, Shaminda Eranga, Udara Jayasundera, Kanishka Alvitigala, Sajeewa Weerakoon, Andy Solomons, Ishan Jayaratne, Charith Sylvester, Angelo Mathews

Ruhuna: Shahid Afridi, Daniel Harris, Ryan Harris, Aaron Finch, Jerome Taylor, Nathan McCullum, Ryan McLaren, Richard Levi, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dilruwan Perera, Ramith Rambukwella, Tharanga Lakshitha, Gihan Rupesinghe, Shaluka Karunanayake, Denuwan Rajakaruna, Malinga Bandara, Kasun Madushanka, Dananja de Silva, Shanuka Dissanayake, Gayan Wijekoon, Chaminda Vidanapathirana, Lasith Malinga

Wayamba: Azhar Mahmood, Umar Akmal, Tamim Iqbal, Colin Ingram, Kemar Roach, James Faulkner, Abdul Razzaq, Brad Hogg, Dinesh Chandimal, Isuru Udana, Kushal Janith Perera, Akhila Dhananjaya, Kaushal Weeraratne, Shehan Jayasuriya, Suranga Lakmal, Milinda Siriwardana, Chathuraga Kumara, Nimesh Perera, Chaminda Vaas, Alankara Asanka, Dashun Shanaka, Malinga Pushpakumara, Dilesh Gunaratne, Mahela Jaywardene

Kandurata: Saeed Ajmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Chris Lynn, Dane Vilas, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha, Adam Voges, Thisara Perera, Thilan Samaraweera, Kosala Kulasekara, Kithruwan Vithanage, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Malinda Warnapura, Chanaka Welegedara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Tharanga Paranavitana, Romesh Buddika, Chintaka Perera, Kaushal Silva, Niroshan Dikwalla, Kumar Sangakkara

Basnahira: Brad Hodge, Marlon Samuels, Daniel Smith, Dirk Nannes, Robin Peterson, Tim Southee, Clint McKay, Cameron Borgas, Jeevan Mendis, Rangana Herath, Indika de Saram, Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhammika Prasad, Lahiru Jayaratne, Rushan Jaleel, Sachitra Serasinghe, Nuwan Pradeep, Dimuth Karunaratne, Amal Athulamudali, Sanjaya Gangodawila, Nadeehra Nawala, Thilan Tushara, Ishara Amerasinghe, Tillakaratne Dilshan

Uva: Andrew McDonald, Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik, Callum Ferguson, James Franklin, Abdur Rehman, Hammad Azam, Chris Gayle, Sachithra Senanayake, Thilina Kandamby, Upul Tharanga, Dilshan Munaweera, Dilhara Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chintaka Jayasinghe, Sameera Zoysa, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ashan Priyanjana, Vishva Fernando, Lahiru Madhushanka, Akila Ishanka, Dinesh Darshapriya, Saliya Saman, Ashen Silva

 

ESPN Cric Info