KL Rahul and Manish Pandey, who were a part of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, are expected to play the ongoing edition of Karnataka Premier League (KPL). The decision has been taken after the many of the Karnataka players have left the tournament due to selection in various BCCI teams, which forced Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) to ask the two players to participate in the tournament to get back the charm of the tournament.
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Though they will play just a game or two for their franchise as the limited over series against Australia will start on September 17 and the team is expected to assemble in Chennai two or three days before the commencement of the series.
Pandey will play for Belagavi Panthers whereas KL Rahul will represent Bellary Tuskers. After their exit, the tournament will get a bit dull. Karun Nair, Krishnnappa Gowtham, R Samarth and Mayank Agarwal are few of the players who have been forced to leave the tournament mid-way. While the first three players are expected to miss the whole tournament, Mayank will return to his side after playing just one practice game against Australia in Chennai.
The semi-finals of the Karnataka Premier league will take place on September 20 and 22 whereas the final will be played on September 23 in Hubli.
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Meanwhile, KSCA has also announced their preliminary squad for the upcoming Ranji season. The state association decided not to take into account the performance of players in KPL as the team was selected just a few days after the start of the tournament. As of now, selectors haven’t named any captain but R Vinay Kumar is expected to continue his duties for the season.
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