The second edition of Global T20 Canada is back with a bang! The second season of global T20 Canada 2019 promises to be even more exciting, spread over 22 matches and 20 days. The Vancouver Knights were the winners of Global T20 Canada 2018.
Global T20 Cricket Canada has always witnessed participation from several big names in international cricket. The last edition saw the likes of David Warner and Steve Smith in action along with Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Moises Henriques and Lasith Malinga. While the turnout this year is spectacular in terms of leading global cricketers, (read Dwayne Bravo, Yuvraj Singh, Shahid Afridi, Brendon McCullum, Darren Sammy, Chris Lynn and more), we have narrowed it down to the top 6 international players worth looking out for.
- Yuvraj Singh – Yuvraj Singh will ply his trade for the Toronto Nationals this season in Global T20 Canada 2019 and it will be an exciting moment for fans as this is the first time he’s playing in a different league than the IPL (Indian Premier League) and he has officially announced his retirement sometime earlier. He will play with the likes of Brendon McCullum and Kieron Pollard, thereby lining up a treat for the fans. Yuvraj is the captain of his team and will be eager to make an impact with his big hitting and captaincy.
- Chris Gayle – The Universe Boss will be at his entertaining best as the spearhead for the Vancouver Knights, the team he captained to victory in the first edition of the Global T20 Cricket League Canada. Last season saw Gayle scoring only 144 runs in 7 matches. After a somewhat indifferent World Cup 2019, Gayle will be eager to stamp his class on the proceedings once again. Gayle may retire after the Test and ODI series’ against India, having chosen to skip the T20Is against India. He will be probably playing a final Test match prior to retiring. He will continue playing across T20 leagues across the world as per reports.
- Kane Williamson – The Edmonton Royals glittering star this time around, Williamson will play his very first season and is a major international player worth watching out for. Kane had an excellent World Cup, finishing amongst the top run scorers, piling up 578 runs at 82.57 and winning the player of the tournament award. Having carried his team to the finals, Williamson will be eager to unleash his batting prowess in this free-flowing event.
- Shahid Afridi – Pakistan’s celebrated all-rounder has always been regarded as a perfect T20 player with his explosive batting and more than potent bowling. Afridi once held the record for the fastest ever century in ODIs and has the record of hitting the highest number of sixes as well. He has also taken a whopping 493 wickets in ODIs and scored close to 9,500 runs. Afridi will be playing for the Brampton Wolves this season and previously represented Dhaka Dynamites in the BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) and Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL (Pakistan Super League).
- Chris Lynn – Another big signing for the Winnipeg Hawks, Chris Lynn is one of the most dangerous T20 batsmen, having been the second highest run scorer for his IPL franchise, KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders). In the last IPL season, Lynn scored 405 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate touching 140. He also scored four fifties overall. With the T20 World Cup slated to take place soon, Chris Lynn will be hoping to continue his big-hitting exploits at the top of the order to catch the attention of the selectors.
- Brendon McCullum – The legendary T20 batsman will be playing for the Toronto Nationals this season. McCullum played a key role in New Zealand reaching the final of the 2015 ICC World Cup and has scored 2,140 runs in T20Is in only 71 games with 13 fifties and two hundreds. McCullum back on the big stage will be an irresistible sight for fans.
These are the top 6 international players to watch out for at Global T20 cricket Canada 2019 although there are scores of other equally talented global peers who will take the field this time around.