Russell and Plessis were marquee players in the LPL 2020 draft.
West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell and South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis are among five top-foreign cricketers who have withdrawn from the upcoming Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2020 less than a week after they were drafted into the teams for the league.
The other three prominent names are Proteas star David Miller and England batsman Dawid Malan – both have opted to withdraw themselves from upcoming Sri Lanka’s LPL 2020 due to national duty, and former Kolkata Knight Riders' cricketer Manvinder Bisla.
While Bisla did not provide any reason behind his decision, Du Plessis, Miller and Malan have pulled out of Sri Lanka’s franchise league as they all three will be in action during the limited-overs series between England and South Africa in November 2020.
Meanwhile, Russell opted out of the tournament due to a knee injury he sustained while playing for KKR in the ongoing IPL 2020 in the UAE. Du Plessis (CSK) and Miller (RR) have been also playing in the IPL 13.
LPL director Ravin Wickramaratne stated: “The franchises that had these players will have to negotiate with other players to take their place.”
Notably, Russell, Miller, du Plessis, and Malan were all marquee players for their respective teams for the inauguration edition of the LPL 2020 – where 23 matches will be played over a 15-day period.
The Sri Lanka Cricket announced the schedule for the LPL 2020 last week with Colombo taking on Galle in the opening match of the tournament on November 21 in Hambantota. The tournament will be played from November 21 to December 13 at two venues -- Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
The two semi-finals and the final will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy while the final will be played on December 13 with December 14 being kept as a reserve day.
(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)