Kathmandu, January 27
Lalitpur Patriots have signed Sri Lankan cricketer Upul Tharanga for the upcoming Everest Premier League slated for March 14-28 at the Tribhuvan University Stadium.
Tharanga became the third big name of international cricket to commit for the third edition of the EPL after South Africa’s Hasim Amla and the West Indies’ Dwyane Smith. Pokhara Paltan have signed Amla, while Bhairahawa Gladiators acquired Smith for the franchise-based Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Defending champions Patriots said the former Sri Lanka ODI and T20 skipper was signed as one of the three mandatory foreign players.
“Upul Tharanga is a gifted left-handed opening batsman, capable of playing delightful strokes and a gifted wicketkeeper,” said the Patriots in a release. A regular member of Sri Lanka’s U-15, U-17 and U-19 sides, Tharanga has captained Sri Lanka in 21 ODI matches and six T20 Internationals. He has scored 15 ODI centuries and is the fastest Sri Lankan cricketer to reach 4,000 runs in limited-over cricket.
“I am honoured to be a part of Lalitpur Patriots family for the 2020 edition of EPL. (I am) glad to be a part of Nepal’s growing cricket culture and wish to be involved in the years to come. On top of everything, can’t wait to explore the beauty of Nepal. I am all set to share my knowledge to the younger generation of Nepali cricketers”, said Tharanga in a release issued by the Patriots.
Patriots owner, Kishore Maharjan expressed his excitement in acquiring Tharanga in the squad.
“(Tharanga) is a terrific addition to the Lalitpur Patriots squad. Besides being an explosive opening batsman, he is a good wicketkeeper as well. His inclusion will strike the right balance in the team. We are also looking to him to provide guidance to our youngsters by sharing his experiences with our boys in the dressing room. Our boys are surely going to learn a lot from a cricketer of his stature”, said Maharjan.
The post Patriots sign SL cricketer Tharanga appeared first on The Himalayan Times.
Written by Madhavi Marasini
This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/sports/patriots-sign-sl-cricketer-tharanga/ under the title “Patriots sign SL cricketer Tharanga”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
