Two promising schoolboys from Jaffna are set to make their debut in franchise cricket when the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) Twenty20 Cricket Tournament gets underway on November 21 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota.
Theivendram Dinoshan of St. John’s College and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth from Jaffna Central College are the two schoolboys who have been picked to represent the Jaffna Stallions in this 23-match tournament.
Dinoshan has been a leading all-rounder for his school having excelled as a right-hand batsman and a right-arm fast bowler in all formats of the game.
The 18-year-old had the distinction of representing the Northern Province Under-15 Team, Jaffna District Under-15 Team and the Under-19 Northern Province Team.
Meanwhile, Viyaskanth (18) is another talented all-rounder having excelled as a right-hand batsman and a right-arm leg-spinner for his school.
He made his Youth International debut for Sri Lanka against India in July, 2018 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota and also represented the country in the Under-19 series against Australia in January,last year.
In addition, Viyaskanth also represented Dambulla in the Inter-Provincial Under-19 Limited Over Cricket Tournament.
Both players will have the opportunity of competing along with a star-studded line-up, which includes international stars in the calibre of Dawid Malan, Shoaib Malik and Usman Shinwari.
Among the local players, the Jaffna Stallions Team will have the services of Sri Lanka all-rounder, Thisara Perera, Wanidu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva and Suranga Lakmal.
“The inclusion of two highly talented schoolboys from Jaffna in our team is testimony to the kind of cricketing talent this province has,” a top official of Jaffna Stallions Team told the Daily News yesterday.
“It is also an encouragement to the cricketing community of Jaffna and rural cricketers across the Island. I am confident that the LPL will further boost cricketing interest among young cricketers and offer real opportunities in the future,” he elaborated.
