Veteran English all-rounder Ravi Bopara on Friday (November 20) has joined the growing list of players who have pulled out of the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
Bopara was slated to play for Jaffna Stallions in the upcoming LPL 2020 which is slated to begin from November 26 in Sri Lanka. The official Twitter handle of LPL has confirmed the latest development.
LPL confirmed Bopara’s move via Twitter: “Official announcement English Cricketer @ravibopara (Jaffna Stallions) has pulled out from Lanka Premier League 2020.”
The inaugural LPL has been dealing with huge blows even before the start of the tournament as apart from Bopara, West Indian hard-hitter Chris Gayle, Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga and England pacer Liam Plunkett had also pulled out of the tournament earlier.
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Malinga had withdrawn from the T20 league citing inadequate preparation time for the competition – where he was one of Galle Gladiators' marquee players and was expected to captain the side.
While Plunkett and Gayle’s withdrawals were confirmed by their franchise Kandy Tuskers where they were to join former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, local icon Kusal Perera, Sri Lankan T20 specialists Kusal Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep for the league, without revealing the specific reason.
Meanwhile, it is being said that Gayle pulled out of the LPL 2020 because the commercial understanding with the organizers could not be reached.
The LPL is scheduled to start on November 26 with Colombo Kings taking on Kandy Tuskers in the tournament opener Hambantota. The tournament will see five teams named after Colombo, Kandy, Galle, Dambulla, and Jaffna competing in a total of 23 matches.
The event will see doubleheaders being played on each day till the semi-finals which are scheduled on December 13 and 14 with the final to be played on December 16 – at the only venue Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota.
