Johnny Bairstow, Charith Aslanka, Paul Sterling to join Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for the ILT20 League
The first foray out of the Indian T20 League for the Knight Riders was The Trinbago Knight Riders which was formed in the West Indies in the CPL
SHARE
Aug 16, 2022 6:36 pm
Sheikh Zayed Stadium- Source (Twitter)
Jonny Bairstow, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are among the 14 players who are signed by The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders ADKR for UAE’s International League T20 ILT20. The team also feature the likes of West Indies quick bowler Ravi Rampaul, spinner Akeal Hosein and left-handed batter Charith Asalanka from Sri Lanka.
The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders announced their overseas signings on Tuesday and the list also features Sri Lanka’s wrist spinning all-rounder Seekuge Prasanna and pace bowler Lahiru Kumara, Paul Stirling from Ireland, and left handed South African batter, Colin Ingram.
Narine and Russell have been part of the Kolkata franchise in the Indian T20 League. The Knight Riders group are also the owners of the Abu Dhabi team since 2012 and 2014 respectively. Narine also plies his trade for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League.
“Firstly it’s great to see that our global footprint continues to grow in line with our vision & strategy. KKR in IPL, TKR in CPL and now ADKR in the ILT20,” Venky Mysore, CEO of Knight Riders, said.
“It’s also terrific that we have our mainstays – Sunil Narine and Andre Russell as part of ADKR. We are really delighted that Jonny Bairstow joins the Knight Riders family and will no doubt play a huge part in ADKR’s journey in ILT20. We are also delighted that Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Ali Khan, Colin Ingram and Seekuge Prasanna, who have been part of Trinbago Knight Riders before, are also a part of ADKR.”
The Knight Riders have enlarged the footprint of the Knight Riders group and the Knight Riders group has always favored expansion. Its first foray out of the Indian T20 League was acquiring the Trinbago Knight Riders which was formed in the West Indies in the CPL. They are pretty keen to diversify and the ADKR is just another component of it.
The franchise has said that their local UAE players would be added to the squad later via the draft. They are the second team in the league after MI Emirates to announce their initial list of 14 international players.
The ILT20 is scheduled to begin in January next year in the UAE and is competing with South Africa’s T20 League for players.
ADKR squad so far: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Raymon Reifer, Kennar Lewis, Ravi Rampaul (all from West Indies), Jonny Bairstow (England), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Seekkuge Prasanna (trio from Sri Lanka), Colin Ingram (South Africa), Ali Khan (USA), Brandon Glover (The Netherlands).
