DEFENDING CHAMPS LALITPUR PATRIOTS ACQUIRES UPUL THARANGA

Lalitpur Patriots, the Defending Champions, have signed Upul Tharanga from Sri Lanka in its list of 3 mandatory foreign players for the 2020 edition of Everest Premier League scheduled to kick-start at the TU Grounds, Kirtipur from 14th March, 2020.

Upul Tharanga is a gifted left-handed opening batsman, capable of playing delightful strokes. He is also a gifted wicket keeper. He was spotted as a youngster and was a regular member of Sri Lanka's U-15, U-17 and U-19 sides. Upul has captained the Sri Lankan One Day side on 21 occasions and 6 times on T20 Internationals.

“A terrific addition to the Lalitpur Patriots Squad! Besides being an explosive opening batsman, he is a good wicket keeper as well. His inclusion will strike the right balance in the team. We are also looking to him to provide guidance to our youngsters by sharing his experiences with our boys in the dressing room. Our boys are surely going to learn a lot from a cricketer of his stature”, says Mr. Kishore Maharjan, the owner of Lalitpur Patriots.

Upul Tharanga is the second batsman in the world who was involved with 7 times 200+ partnerships in ODI cricket. The only other player to achieve this feat is Ricky Ponting. On 2 July 2013, Upul Tharanga scored the second highest ODI score of 174* by a Sri Lankan only behind Sanath Jayasuriya who had scored 189 against India. Despite of his low match participation, he has hit 15 centuries and won 12 man of the match titles in his name in his international career. Tharanga also holds the record of the fastest Sri Lankan to reach 4000 ODI runs, reaching there in 119 innings. He is now the permanent captain in the limited over formats for Sri Lanka.

“I am honored to be a part of Lalitpur Patriots family for the 2020 edition of EPL. Glad to be part of Nepal’s growing cricket culture and wish to be involved in the years to come. On top of everything, can’t wait to explore the beauty of Nepal. I am all set to share my knowledge to the younger generation of Nepali cricketers”, announced Upul Tharanga.