No Indian cricketers will feature in this weekend’s players draft for the first T20 Global League of South Africa. Ninety foreign players from across the world will be up for grabs in the inaugural league later this year.
As expected, the Board of Control for Cricket in India did not given permission to Indian cricketers. Top Indian players, however, will be busy playing a series of home internationals this year.
Several retired international stars like Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq have put their name forward for South Africa’s new-look T20 league which will be played in November and December.
Global Twenty20 icons Alex Hales and Shahid are amongst 90 foreign players shortlisted to participate in the inaugural T20 Global League draft. The pair will join eight (8) foreign marquee players who will also be assigned individually to the eight participating franchises on August 26 and 27.
Those players were named in April were Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga, Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard and Jason Roy.
Other world stars that have made the final cut are Steven Finn, Ahmed Shehzad, Ben Hilfenhaus, and Saeed Ajmal with 13 countries in total, including South Africa, represented on the list.
There is also the added intrigue of Pakistan legend and former captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who is 43, possibly coming out of retirement to play after he availed himself for the six-week long competition.
Fellow global Test legends Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) and Ian Bell (England) are also on the list.
Added to the cosmopolitan flavour will be Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands), Kevin O’Brien (Ireland), Dawlat Zadran (Afghanistan) and Kyle Coetzer (Scotland).
