Former Stars Murali, Vaas And Jayasuriya To Light Up Inaugural SLPL

Former stars Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Sanath Jayasuriya were all named in the preliminary squads for the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League tournament to be held in August.
The trio was among 107 local players who were drafted into the seven teams by the organizers in a closed door event in the presence of the Franchises only.
Earlier 56 overseas players from Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies were allocated to the seven teams through a draw. Whilst Muralitharan had been earlier named as one of the Icon players to lead the Uthara team the inclusion of Jayasuriya and Vaas came as a bit of a surprise. Jayasuriya was one of six local players who fetched the maximum bid price of USD 35,000 for local players – the others were Dinesh Chandimal, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera and Rangana Herath.
Vaas was negotiated at the relatively ‘cheap’ rate of USD 25,000 and was snapped up by Wayamba which is led by present Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardena.
Interestingly, Jayasuriya was selected by the Kandurata team which is to be led by former Sri Lanka Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and which also includes the current Pakistani Test Captain Misbah-ul-Haq, spinner Saeed Ajmal and fast bowler Sohail Tanvir who are all part of the Pakistan team touring Sri Lanka at present. Trinity’s star schoolboy cricketer Niroshan Dickwella is also in the Kandurata squad.
Angelo Mathews was named icon player of Nagenahira and will lead the side in place of Shahid Afridi who was released by the franchise as the Pakistan star could potentially miss the semi-finals and finals of the SLPL due to the recently announced Pakistan-Australia series.
Afridi was subsequently drafted into the Ruhuna team led by Lasith Malinga. Following the drafts each franchise now has a preliminary list of 24 players comprising of 16 local and eight overseas players. This list will have to be pruned down to 18 players – 12 Sri Lankan and six overseas players.
The remaining six players – four Sri Lankan and two overseas – will then become part of the supplementary list for their respective teams. In case of an injury to a player in the main squad, teams will be allowed to replace the injured player with one from the supplementary list.

Preliminary SLPL squads

Uthura: Muttiah Muralitharan (Capt), 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,
Nagenahira: Angelo Mathews (capt), 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,
Ruhuna: Lasith Malinga (capt), 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
Wayamba: Mahela Jayawardena (Capt), 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,
Kandurata: Kumar Sangakkara (Capt), 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 Dikwella,
Basnahira: Tillakaratne Dilshan (Capt), 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,
Uva: Chris Gayle (Capt), Andrew McDonald, Umar Gul, Shoaib Malik, Callum Ferguson, James Franklin, Abdur Rehman, Hammad Azam,  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