Manish Pandey and KL Rahul set to feature in the KPL

Manish Pandey and KL Rahul are all set to feature in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) season six that is currently underway in Mysuru. According to reports the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the players have agreed to play in the T20 league after returning from Sri Lanka. The league kicked off on September 1 and will be played until September 23.

Unlike Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), the KPL has been deprived of the international stars this season. Some of the most popular cricketers like Karun Nair, R Samarth and K Gowtham who play for Mysuru Warriors, Bengaluru Blasters and Belagavi Panthers respectively, had to leave the tournament mid-way to feature in the Duleep Trophy. Also, Mayank Agarwal has been selected in the Board President’s XI squad which will take on Australia in Chennai on 12 September.

Much needed boost for the T20 league

The arrival of KL Rahul and Manish Pandey is the kind of boost the league was looking for. Rahul for Bellary Tuskers and Pandey will for the first time don the colours for Belagavi Panthers. The players have returned from Sri Lanka tour on Thursday morning as per reports. “We want more Karnataka players in the national and ‘A’ teams but when the two are available why should they not be playing in the KPL?” the Karnataka State Cricket Association official was quoted as saying by Ahmedabad Mirror.

A BCCI official said that they have no information if the two have agreed to turn out for their KPL franchises but gave away that the board would not object to it.

Both, Rahul and Pandey, were an integral part of the national side throughout the tour. The opener was in the island nation since the inception of the Test series whereas Pandey landed there for the limited-overs leg. While Lokesh Rahul was impressive in the Test series, he struggled to adjust to the role in the middle order in the ODIs. In the 3 ODIs he played, KL was dismissed by the same bowler Akila Dananjaya and could not contribute significantly to the team’s cause.

Pandey, on the other hand, made use of the limited opportunities that came his way. He was given a chance after India won the series in the fourth ODI and played 3 matches since then including the one-off T20I. He influenced the outcome with his contribution in all the games coming into the bat in the middle order with few overs left.