Babar Azam aims to form strongest side in Lanka Premier League auction

Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, expressed his anticipation for building a formidable team ahead of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) auction. 

The Colombo Strikers have already acquired the services of Babar, Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah, and Sri Lanka T20I players Matheesha Pathirana and Chamika Karunaratne.

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"The auction is the most important aspect in any franchise cricket tournament. We have spoken about the kind of players we need, and we'll definitely look to form the strongest side in the tournament," Babar said as quoted by Colombo Strikers.

The auction is set to take place on June 14, 2023, while the tournament will take place from July 30 to August 22, 2023.

#Repost
Mark your calendars for June 14th as the much-awaited Lanka Premier League 2023 player auction is here! 🎉🎉

Get ready to witness the nail-biting action unfold as the top cricketing talents go under the hammer. Join us on the 14th of June on our Facebook and YouTube… pic.twitter.com/4jokf10wPF

— Colombo Strikers (@ColomboStrikers) June 11, 2023

Every participating team in the tournament will comprise a total of 20 players, consisting of 14 Sri Lankan and six overseas.

The teams will play each other twice in the round-robin stage, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs.

Lanka Premier League announces pre-signings ahead of the draft#LPL2023 pic.twitter.com/d5UwbjscvS

— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk) May 23, 2023

Pre-signed players ahead of auction:

• Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana. Naseem Shah, Chamika Karunaratne
• Dambulla Aura: Mathews Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ngidi, Avishka Fernando
• Jaffna Kings: David Miller, Thisara Perera, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana
• Kandy Falcons: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fakhar Zaman, Angelo Mathews
• Galle Gladiators: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa