Former Australian speedster Brett Lee has joined the Ruby Kanchi Warriors as mentor and brand ambassador ahead of the inaugural edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League. The team, based in the city of Kancheepuram, was bought by Ruby Builders and Promoters for Rs. 3.69 crores at the auction in June, and was subsequently named the Ruby Kanchi Warriors.
The 39-year old Lee played 76 Tests and 221 ODIs for Australia from 1999 to 2008, picking up 310 and 380 wickets respectively. He was also part of the Australian side that won the 2003 World Cup, beating India by 125 runs in the final.
Considered one of the quickest bowlers in the modern age, Brett Lee has a huge fan following in India, having been associated with the Indian Premier League from 2008 to 2013. Post his international retirement in 2012, he has also played for Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League, finishing his career for the franchise with the 2015 edition’s finale. Lee was last seen playing in the Master Champions League, featuring for the Virgo Super Kings. He recently made his foray into Bollywood, playing the lead role in ‘UnIndian’, a film directed by Anupam Sharma.
Brett Lee’s former Australian teammate Michael Bevan has also been associated with the tournament, having been named the head coach of Madurai Super Giants. Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener was also roped in by the Lyca Kovai Kings as chief coach last month.
In a statement issued post Brett Lee’s signing, the franchise said: “The Ruby Kanchi Warriors are happy to have a player of his stature associated with them for the TN Premier League.”
The inaugural edition of the TNPL will be played for 23 days, and will feature eight teams, with the matches scheduled to be held in three venues across Tamil Nadu. International players like Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik and Laxmipathy Balaji will be seen in action. Other outstation players like Piyush Chawla and Hardik Pandya, who weren’t part of the auction held last month, are expected to participate as well, subject to a confirmation by BCCI.
The tournament begins on 27th August, with matches at Dindigul and Chennai.
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