'We'll look to acquire some destructive batters' - Colombo Strikers' Head Coach Simon Helmot ahead of LPL Auction

The Lanka Premier League (LPL) Auction is scheduled to be held in Colombo on Wednesday, June 14. Colombo Strikers already have some formidable players like Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Chamika Karunaratne, and Naseem Shah in their squad. Notably, Pathirana had a breakthrough IPL season in 2023 as he helped the Chennai Super Kings win a record-equalling fifth IPL title. The talented pacer recently made his debut for Sri Lanka in the ODI series against Afghanistan. The Dasun Shanaka-led side won the 3-match series 2-1.

In the same vein, the Colombo Strikers' head coach, Simon Helmot, who is the head coach of Colombo Strikers believes that the T20 format has always evolved as time went by. Hence, like most teams, Helmont has a goal in sight. He wants to keep the 'aggressive' brand of cricket at the centre of his team-building process.

"T20 cricket has moved and grown over the years. We’ll look to acquire some destructive batters and wicket-taking bowlers. We want to play an aggressive brand of cricket and we'll need the right set of players to execute our plans," was quoted as saying by the ANI.

Apart from him, the Strikers' bowling coach, Chaminda Vaas, weighed on acquiring local talents who will make a big difference for the team. Furthermore, he also revealed that he will be looking at having a balanced bowling lineup for the Colombo Strikers.

“We’ve seen over the years that local players make a big difference in franchise cricket. We’ve shortlisted a few names that we would like to acquire in the Auction. It’ll be about constructing a well-balanced bowling unit and hopefully, we’ll be able to do so in the Auction,” said Vaas.

When will the Lanka Premier League commence?

The fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League is scheduled to begin on July 31 and it will conclude on August 22. Earlier this year, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) revealed the same in a statement. Each team in LPL 2023 will consist of 20 players. 14 out of the 20 will be Sri Lankan players while six foreign players will add international flavour to the tournament.

Last year, the tournament was won by Jaffna Kings. They defeated Colombo in the final by 2 wickets with 4 balls to spare. Sadeera Samarawickrama had a standout season and was fittingly adjudged Player of the Tournament.