Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, the sister franchise of IPL team KKR, have announced their overseas players for the first-ever edition of the UAE T20 league. While the Knight Riders have signed two of their IPL players Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, they have added some other international superstars to their ranks as well.
The biggest overseas signing that the Knight Riders have made for the UAE T20 league is the England batsman Jonny Bairstow who is playing some stunning cricket in all three formats of the game right now and is probably one of the most popular big hitters in the world.
Jonny! Jonny!
Coming to Abu Dhabi Knight Riders?
Yes! #KnightRiders FAM 💜@jbairstow21 #ADKR #ILT20 pic.twitter.com/j3xeJT4TK8Advertisement— Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (@ADKRiders) August 16, 2022
The Knight Riders have opted for a couple of players who have been their net bowlers in the past. Akela Hosein, who has been a very consistent performer for West Indies in T20 international cricket recently, was a net bowler with KKR during the last season of IPL and the USA fast bowler Ali Khan, who is one of the best fast bowlers going around among associate nations, has also served as a KKR net bowler previously. Both have been included in Abu Dhabi Knight Riders squad.
Apart from that, the Knight Riders have also signed a couple of Sri Lankan internationals, Lahiru Kumara and Charith Asalanka, both of whom are currently the regulars in Sri Lanka’s white ball set-up. The Irish batsman Paul Stirling and the Dutch international Brandon Glover have got their opportunities as well.
A couple of T20 veterans, Ravi Rampaul who featured in the West Indies squad in the last T20 World Cup, and Colin Ingram, who has played in almost all T20 leagues around the world, have also been signed by the Knight Riders for the first season of UAE T20 league.
Here is the full list of overseas players signed by Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for UAE T20 league –
Jonny Bairstow (England), Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Kennar Lewis (all West Indies), Paul Stirling (Ireland), Brandon Glover (Netherlands), Ali Khan (USA), Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Seekuge Prasanna (all Sri Lanka), Colin Ingram (South Africa)
Knight Riders announce the first 14 players of their Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ADKR) squad for UAE’s International League T20 (ILT20).@KKRiders pic.twitter.com/x4YCaHYpxy
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) August 16, 2022
