The Lanka Premier League 2023 is scheduled to take place from July 30 to August 20, 2023. Five teams �Colombo Strikers, Dambulla Aura, Galle Titans, Jaffna Kings, and B-Love Kandy �will compete against each other twice during the league stage, which will be held between July 30 and August 15.

The top four teams will proceed to the playoffs, scheduled for August 17 (Qualifier 1 and Eliminator), August 19 (Qualifier 2), and August 20 (final). Additionally, a reserve day has been allocated for the final on August 21.

Each team has enlisted six overseas players, totaling to 30 overseas cricketers in the tournament. Colombo Strikers have appointed Babar Azam as their captain, making him the only overseas captain in LPL 2023.

Among the overseas players, 13 are from Pakistan, including stars like Shoaib Malik, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Wahab Riaz. Other overseas players come from various cricket-playing nations, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland.

For detailed squads of each team, please refer to the full squads of Colombo Strikers, Dambulla Aura, Galle Titans, Jaffna Kings, and B-Love Kandy in the Lanka Premier League 2023.

Here is a summary of the overseas players in each team:

Colombo Strikers:

• Ireland: Lorcan Tucker.
• Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz.

Dambulla Aura:

• Afghanistan: Noor Ahmad.
• Australia: Matthew Wade, Hayden Kerr, Alex Ross.
• Pakistan: Shahnawaz Dahani.
• South Africa: Lungi Ngidi.

Galle Titans:

• Australia: Ben Cutting.
• Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Mithun.
• New Zealand: Tim Seifert.
• South Africa: Tabraiz Shamsi, Chad Bowes.

Jaffna Kings:

• Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
• Australia: Chris Lynn.
• Pakistan: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan.
• South Africa: David Miller, Hardus Viljoen.

B-Love Kandy

• Afghanistan: Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
• Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Asif Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Aamer Jamal.

Suresh Raina, the former Indian cricketer and one of the most successful batters for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is set to be part of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 auction. The auction, scheduled for June 14, will feature Raina among the players whose names will be up for bidding.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) recently released a list of international and domestic cricketers who will be auctioned off for the five-team tournament, set to commence on July 31.

Raina, known for his solid batting skills at the top of the order, has been a consistent performer in the IPL, featuring in every season from 2008 to 2021, except for 2020 when he opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. With over 5500 runs in 205 IPL games, including an unbeaten century, Raina has showcased his prowess as a key player for CSK and Gujarat Lions in the IPL, as well as Uttar Pradesh in domestic tournaments.

After announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket in September 2022, Raina participated in the Legends League Cricket earlier this year. The 36-year-old is highly regarded in Indian cricket, having played a crucial role in CSK’s title victories in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. He served as CSK’s vice-captain and remains the team’s leading run-scorer, amassing 4,687 runs in 176 matches. Raina also led the Gujarat Lions to the top of the points table during their inaugural seasons in 2016 and 2017.

BCCI rules state that a player must retire from all forms of competitive domestic cricket to participate in franchise leagues abroad. Notable Indian cricketers like Irfan Pathan have previously played in the Lanka Premier League, representing the Kandy Tuskers in the inaugural season in 2020. Additionally, former India U-19 cricketers Unmukt Chand and Harmeet Singh have retired from domestic cricket to pursue opportunities in the United States.