As many as four of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stars Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson and Jason Roy have signed up with Los Angeles Lakers (LAKR) for the first-ever edition of the Major League Cricket (MLC). In addition, Adam Zampa, Martin Guptill and Rilee Rossouw are some of the other top international stars that will play for LAKR this season. The LAKR squad also features former India U-19 captain Unmukt Chand, USA's Jaskaran Malhotra and Ali Khan. The players were picked by the team at a draft in March.
It is pertinent to note that England's Roy had agreed that his ECB contract should be terminated so that he can play cricket in USA's MLC. He had also flown in to be part of the KKR squad as a replacement. The latest development means Russell and Narine continue to be part of the Knight Riders family way beyond their association with the IPL franchise. The duo have been associated with the Knight Riders even in Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20 and now have been roped in by LAKR apart from their participation for Kolkata.
"We have assembled a strong and talented team for the debut season of MLC, who can compete at the highest level and bring joy to cricket fans around the world," Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
"The Knight Riders group is poised to make a significant contribution to the growth of cricket in the United States and to bring our unique brand of cricket to new audiences around the world," he added.
Ali Sheikh (USA), Bhaskar Yadram (West Indies), Corne Dry (South Africa), Nitish Kumar (Canada), Saif Badar (Pakistan) and Shadley Van Schalkwyk (South Africa) are the other names that feature in the squad.