Russell, Roy, Ferguson, Narine sign for LA Knight Riders in MLC

Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, and Jason Roy have signed up for Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) for the inaugural edition of the MLC, further extending their ties with the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Last month, England star Roy terminated his central contract with the ECB to participate in the competition. With regular skipper Shreyas Iyer and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan unable to take part in the IPL 2023, Roy was roped in by KKR, as a result.

Russell and Narine also play for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL and more recently also played for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the first edition of the ILT20 earlier this year.

Adam Zampa, Martin Guptill and Rilee Rossouw are are some of the other international stars roped in by LAKR. Unmukt Chand, who led the India Under-19 side to the title in 2012 too finds a place in the team as do the American duo of Jaskaran Malhotra and Ali Khan.

"We have assembled a strong and talented team for the debut season of MLC, who can compete at the highest level and bring joy to cricket fans around the world," Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement. 

"The Knight Riders group is poised to make a significant contribution to the growth of cricket in the United States and to bring our unique brand of cricket to new audiences around the world." 

The six-team event is scheduled to go on between July 13 and 30 and will be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.