UAE ILT20: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Full Squad; Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Jonny Bairstow headline

Abu Dhabi, Aug 16: Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Tuesday (August 16) announced the squad for the upcoming inaugural edition of UAE's International League T20 (ILT20).

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders are the latest T20 team of Kolkata Knight Riders, the popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise. Earlier in May this year, KKR acquired the right to own the Abu Dhabi franchise in the UAE ILT20 and named it Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders' squad possesses some of the mainstays from the mother franchise i.e. KKR in the IPL. West Indies all-rounders Sunil Narine and Andre Russell - who have been a regular feature of the KKR setup for the past few years - have also been picked up by the franchise for its UAE team.

Some players have also been associated with the Tringbago Knight Riders franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in the past and have also been reunited with the Knight Riders family.

UAE T20 League: MI Emirates Full Squad -- Pollard, Boult, Bravo to play in International League T20

Star England wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow - who plays for Punjab Kings in the IPL - has also been picked up in the squad. Ireland's star batter Paul Stirling, Sri Lankan seamer Lahiru Kumara and all-rounders Charith Asalanka and Seekuge Prasanna have also been included in the squad.

South Africa batter Colin Ingram also features in the squad. Senior West Indies all-rounder Ravi Rampaul along with Ramon Reifer and pacer Kennar Lewis has also been included in the squad ahead of the draft picks. USA's Ali Khan and Netherlands' Brandon Glover have also been included in the 14-member squad. Local UAE players to be added to the draft later.

After announcing the squad, the team's CEO Venky Mysore said, "Firstly it's great to see that our global footprint continues to grow in line with our vision and strategy. KKR in IPL, TKR in CPL and now ADKR in the ILT20.

"It's also terrific that we have our mainstays - Sunil Narine and Andre Russell as part of the ADKR. We are really delighted that Jonny Bairstow joins the Kight Riders family and will no doubt play a huge part in ADKR's journey in ILT20. We are also delighted that Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Ali Khan, Colin Ingram, and Seekuge Prasanna, who have been part of TKR before, are also a part of ADKR.

A big welcome to Paul Stirling, Charith Asalanka, Kennar Lewis, Lahiru Kumara, Raymon Reifer, and Brandon Glover to the Knight Riders family. The ILT20 promises to be an exciting tournament and we are looking forward to very competitive games and a lot of entertainment."

Abu Dhabi Knight Riders Squad: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Jonny Bairstow, Paul Stirling, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Colin Ingram, Akeal Hosein, Seekuge Prasanna, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Kennar Lewis, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover.