Chris Lynn, Sarfraz Ahmed to play for Khulna Titans in BPL 2017

What’s the story?

Warming up in style for the next edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, the Khulna Titans signed up as many as six international stars, including Chris Lynn and Sarfraz Ahmed. The team also officially announced former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene as their head coach.

In case you didn’t know…

Lynn has been on fire in the T20 format, having grabbed eyeballs with his sensational striking in the BBL earlier this year. He was signed up by the Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2017, and did not disappoint, although a shoulder injury took him off the game for close to a month.

Sarfaraz Ahmed, on the other hand, led the Pakistan side to a historic win in the Champions Trophy 2017, beating arch-rivals India comprehensively in the finals to win their first major ICC silverware since 2009.

The heart of the matter

Apart from the two, the Titans have also roped in Kyle Abbott, Shadab Khan, Rilee Rossouw and Seekkuge Prasanna to form a strong foreign base. The addition of Abbott will add to the bowling strengths of the Titans, who already have the services of Junaid Khan in their team. Last year, the side was captained by Mahmudullah Riyad, and coached by former Australian all-rounder Stuart Law.

Apart from the Titans, the Dhaka Dynamites have also done a series of signings, adding players like Mohammad Amir, Rovman Powell, Evin Lewis, Asela Gunaratne, as well as veterans in the form of Kumar Sangakkara and Shahid Afridi.

What’s next?

Jayawardene replaced Law as the head coach, the latter moving to the West Indies to be the national coach. The Sri Lankan turned down a possibility of coaching Team India, saying he was fully committed to work with the Titans, which indicates that a lot is at stake for the T20 side to do well.

The fifth edition of the BPL will commence in November, with the opening game between the Comilla Victorians and Chittagong Vikings.

Author’s Take

The inclusion of the hard-hitting Chris Lynn is a welcome addition to the Titans, as Lynn has been in breathtaking form recently, having scored at a strike rate of more than 180 in the IPL. Sarfraz’s addition means that the side will have a solid stumper to replace Nicholas Pooran, the West Indian keeper-batsman that the side tried last year.

Abbott will enhance the bowling attack further with Junaid Khan for company, while the hard-hitting all-rounder Prasanna, under the tutelage of his countryman Jayawardene, could also blossom well.