Chris Gayle, Liam Plunkettpull out of upcoming Lanka Premier League

NEW DELHI: Big-hittingWest Indies batsman Chris Gayle and England fast bowler Liam Plunkett will notbe featuring in the upcoming inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League(LPL).

Gayle and Plunkett wereset to join former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, local iconKusal Perera, Sri Lankan T20 specialists Kusal Mendis and Nuwan Pradeep amongothers at Kandy Tuskers.

However, Tuskers have nowinformed that both Gayle and Plunkett have opted out of the tournament.

“We are sad to announcethat Chris Gayle will not be playing for us in this year’s LPL,” the franchisehad tweeted from their official Twitter handle on November 19.

“We are also sad toannounce that Liam Plunkett will also not be playing in this year’s LPL,” theytweeted on November 19 (Thursday).

Tuskers are slated to takeon Colombo Kings in the tournament opener on November 26. The other three teamsparticipating in the league are Dambulla Hawks, Galle Gladiators and JaffnaStallions.

The T20 tournament, whichwill comprise of 23 matches, will see double headers being played on each daytill the semi-finals which will be played on December 13 and 14. The final willbe played on December 16. All the matches will be played at the MahindaRajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota.

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