Cricket: 16 Sri Lankan players in IPL auction

Only 16 Sri Lankan cricketers’ names have been picked for the auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which will take place in Bengalaru on Saturday (6).

The Sri Lankans drafted for the auction are Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekera, Ajantha Mendis, Sachitra Senanayake, Dushmantha Chameera, TM Dilshan, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Isuru Udana, Dilshan Munaweera and Seekkuge Prasanna.

In total 351 cricketers are set to go under the hammer at the IPL 2016 Players' Auction where only a maximum of 116 players can be bought.

In the full list of players short-listed for the auctions released, includes 130 capped players, 219 uncapped players and two from Associate Nations.

Out of these, 230 are Indians and 121 foreigner players. 

It includes a total of 29 Australian capped cricketers followed by players from India (26), West Indies (20), South Africa (18), Sri Lanka (16), New Zealand, (9), England (7) and Bangladesh (5).

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews alongside India’s Yuvraj Singh, has already fetched the highest bid while Lasith Malinga is the only Sri Lankan retained by a franchise (Mumbai Indians) in the IPL.