Men’s Premier League T20 tournament to showcase Hong Kong’s top talent

Cricket Hong Kong (CHK) have announced that the men’s premier league T20 tournament for the 2020-2021 season will commence from 18th October 2020 and will feature the top players from the 5 biggest clubs in Hong Kong, and the opportunity to stake claim for spots in the national squad for International tournaments in 2021 and beyond.

The Hong Kong Cricket Club, Diasqua Little Sai Wai, Pakistan Association Cricket Club, Kowloon Cricket Club and United Services Recreation Club will compete in the competition and will face each other in a single round-robin group stage format, at the conclusion of which, the top two sides will face each other in the final. All matches will be played across Hong Kong Cricket Club (HKCC), Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC) and Tin Kwong Road Recreation ground (TKRRG), with the final to be played at Tin Kwong Road Recreation ground.

All matches will be live streamed on Cricket Hong Kong’s Facebook page and Youtube channel. CHK have announced that a 3-camera setup will be put up on the grounds instead of a single camera setup from previous seasons. No live audiences will be allowed at the grounds with COVID-19 restrictions at place, as part of match-day guidelines.

The T20 competition will be the first domestic competitive event for the men’s since March 2020, when the premier league one-day competition, along with the rest of the domestic season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Hong Kong’s Women’s premier league will also begin on the same date, with two teams competing across three games in 35-over and 40-overs format.

Men’s premier league will see tough contests with many experienced players having changed their clubs from the 2019 season. For HKCC, news players like Haroon Arshad, Nizakat Khan and Adit Gorawara adds more strength to an already formidable squad with the likes of Ryan Buckley, Luke Jones, Adil Mehmood, Martin Versfeld, Rory Caines and Elliot Scrivener. Martin Coetzee, a FC experienced player from South Africa will make his debut in PLT20 for HKCC, and will be someone to watch out for in the competition.

DLSW will rely mostly upon their bowling attack comprising of Tanveer Ahmed, Ehsan Khan, Aftab Hussain and Ghazanfer Mohammad. Ikram Hussain and Ibraheem Ishaq will be donning the gloves after the departure of Shahid Wasif from the club. Mohsin Khan and Dhananjay Rao will be upcoming talent to look out for in the tournament.

KCC boasts of some of the big names in Hong Kong cricket circuit with the likes of Chris Carter, Jamie Atkinson, Aizaz Khan, Daniel Pascoe, Waqas Barkat and Jason Davidson in the ranks, but all eyes will be on Rory Cox and Ateeq Iqbal, both primed to produce big performances in the new season.

USRC, yet to win a game in PLT20 so far previously, will be boosted by the presence of Shahid Wasif in the ranks, who will also look to guide the domestic performers in Akbar Khan, Awais Mohammad, Zakir Hayat, Ehsan Muhammad, Ali Mohammad and Shan Raj. Former HK player Ali Skhawat and former county cricketer Imran Arif will bring in the experience factors in the squad looking to make heads turn in the new season.

Cricket Hong Kong Men’s Premier League T20 Schedule