US Open Cricket 2020 Squads, Schedule, Team Analysis, Fantasy Picks

The fever is T20 Cricket is all over the fans as the cricketing action is getting catered all around the world. One another league is getting started and that too from a nation where the game is budding. US Open Cricket 2020, the biggest T20 tournament in North America is the eleventh edition of the league. This season will be played in bio-bubble with all Covid-19 protocols starting from the 15th of December. We will preview this season with a capsule that you need to know about.

Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Shoiab Akhtar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo are some international stars associated with the league. The league was established in 2009 with a vision of promoting the sport in a country like the United States of America.

Many overseas professionals like Sami Aslam, Dane Piedt, and Corey Anderson have signed up with USA Cricket’s Major League T20 competition, having made their plans of relocating to the United States on a permanent basis are also announced in the squads of the teams for the competition.

Somerset Cavaliers, Punjab Blue, US All Stars, and SAMP Army teams are clubbed in Group A of the competition, while Group B consists of Atlanta Param Veers, 22 Yards Sultan CC, Brampton Pacers, and Afghan Zwanan CC. The group stages will feature a single round-robin league stage, followed by the semi-finals and the grand finale to crown the Champions for the 12th edition of the ICC and USA Cricket approved franchise T20 league.

US Open Cricket 2020 Schedule and Match Timings

December 15, Tuesday

Brampton Pacers CC vs Afghan Zwanan CC at IST 9:30 PM 

December 16, Wednesday

Atlanta Param Veers vs 22 Yards Sultan CC at IST 1:00 AM 

Somerset Cavaliers CC vs SAMP Army at IST 4:30 AM 

Atlanta Param Veers vs Brampton Pacers CC at IST 9:30 PM 

December 17, Thursday

US All Stars vs Punjab Blues at IST 1:00 AM

22 Yards Sultan CC vs Afghan Zwanan CC at IST 4:30 AM

Punjab Blues vs SAMP Army at IST 9:30 PM

December 18, Friday

Somerset Cavaliers vs US All Stars at IST 1:00 AM

22 Yards Sultan CC vs Brampton Pacers CC at IST 4:30 AM

Somerset Cavaliers vs Punjab Blues at IST 9:30 PM

December 19, Saturday

US All Stars vs SAMP Army at IST 1:00 AM

Atlanta Param Veers vs Afghan Zwanan CC at IST 4:30 AM

Group A 1st vs Group B 2nd (Semi-Final 1) at IST 9:30 PM

December 20, Sunday

Group B 1st vs Group A 2nd (Semi-Final 2) at IST 1:00 AM

TBC vs TBC (Final) at IST 9:30 PM

22 YARDS SULTAN

Squad: Trevon Griffith, Ahad Malek (captain), Asad Ali, Jatinder Singh, Dane Piedt, Christopher Barnwell, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd, Jessy Singh, Devendra Bishoo, Aaqib Sulheri, Sherfane Rutherford, Adnam Bajwa, Chadwick Walton, Anthony Bramble, Rikin Parikh, Ameeq Khan, Toqueer Abbasi, Charan Singh, Eraj Abidi.

TEAM ANALYSIS

The Sultan team composition is full packed with players with international experience and some prominent USA cricket icons. The team would have Chris Barnwell in the mix to complement the local middle order who would have the capability to provide the finishing touches and bowl some medium-fast overs as well. Sultan’s bowling would highly depend on their spinners. Now, with the inclusion of Devendra Bishoo and Dane Piedt, they would become formidable on the Florida pitch. In the end, their main strength would be the explosive duo of Chadwick Walton and Anthony Bramble at top order would surely provide them a fiery start.

TEAM RATING: 7/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Ahad Malek, Devendra Bishoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Chadwick Walton, and Asad Ali.

US ALL STARS

SQUAD: Zishawn Quershi (captain), Zeeshan Ashraf, Ali Shafique, Jaskaran Malhotra, Rizwan Cheema, Ali Khan, Ravinderpal Singh, Liam Plunkett, Saad Zafar, Rajesh Sharma, Herlando Johnson, Honey Gori, Naseer Khan, Damien Rowe, Omari Williams, Abdullah Shah, Samih Saddiq, Abdullah Shaikh, Christopher Lamont, Sameer Khan.

TEAM ANALYSIS

The US All-Stars team is Canadian players based franchise with players like Jaskaran Malhotra, Rizman Cheema, Saad Zafar, and Ravinderpal Singh. With Liam Plunkett coming into the US Stars, he will form a fearsome opening bowler with the American Star Ali Khan. The skipper Zishawn Quershi would be the key better for the lineup and the Pakistani Ali Shafique would be the other batter to rely on. The team does not have any more international level cricketers but all the players such as Sameer Khan, Abdullah Shaikh, and Christopher Lamont are the veteran of the league.

TEAM RATING: 6/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Liam Plunkett, Ali Khan, Zishawn Quershi, Jaskaran Malhotra, and Ali Shafique.


SOMERSET CAVALIERS

SQUAD: Syed Najaf Shah, Andre Russell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Sohaib Maqsood, Navin Stewart, Kennar Lewis, Shawn Findlay, Ali Imran, Gudakesh Motie, Aaron James, Sami Aslam, Asad Ghous, Rusty Theron, Paul Gordon Wintz, Akshay Homraj, Syed Abdullah, Gauranshu Sharma, Yasir Mohammad, Krishmar Santokie, Muhammad Irfan.


TEAM ANALYSIS

The ex-Pakistani left-arm bowler leads Somerset Cavaliers in the US Open League. The Somerset franchise is the most balanced and experienced in this edition of the league. Cavaliers have all-rounders Andre Russell, Ali Imran, Gudakesh Motie. They would be well-assisted by their prime bowlers and batsmen. They have batting international options like Sami Aslam, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Sohaib Maqsood, and Navin Stewart. While the pace battery of the Somerset side makes them miles ahead of the others.

TEAM RATING: 8/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Andre Russell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Sohaib Maqsood, Sami Aslam, and Aaron Jones.



SAMP ARMY

SQUAD: Sanjay Stanley (captain), Abhiram Bolisetty, Aditya Gupta, Akul Gupta, Aryan Shah, Gaurav Khanna, Hitesh Patel, Kunal Sehgal, Nilesh Patel, Rohan Phakde, Sarnam Patel, Owais Jeelani, Chandu Kasireddy, Akash Joshi, Mujtaba Tariq, Akshar Patel, Utkarsh Srivastava, Gautham Ravindran, Aryan Ghotkar.

TEAM ANALYSIS

Samp Army is the only team without any renowned international names but the Samp’s Army is well capable to take all the other sides. Sanjay Stanley, the skipper of the Samps is a top-order bat who represents his national side USA. This season he would be accompanied by Owais Jeelani, Aditya Gupta, and Akul Gupta. The Army has an Indian domestic talent in Nilesh Patel and Hitesh Patel. They also have quite all-rounders like Gautham Ravindran, Utkarsh Srivastava, and Chandu Kasireddy.

TEAM RATING: 6/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Sanjay Stanley, Owais Jeelani, Gautham Ravindran, Aditya Gupta, and Chandu Kasireddy.


BRAMPTON PACERS

SQUAD: Jagjit Randhawa (captain), Leonardo Julien, Waqas Butt, Asad Zaidi, Jagdeep Randhawa, Ranjeet Singh, Ranveer Singh, Tejinder Dhaliwal, Sukhjinder Sangha, Junaid Siddiqui, Salman Nazar, Sukhdeep Brar, Balkar Kainth, Dunae Nathaniel, Zikriya Sattar, Ricky Nayar, Dale Africa, Fuad Azadi.

TEAM ANALYSIS

Brampton Pacers team has all the boxes ticked. The Pacers look like a team that will perform without any big-name cricketers. The captain Jagjit Randhawa has all the bases covered as he has the West Indian Dale Africa and Leonardo Julien. Bangladesh’s Junaid Siddiqui would be their solution for the number three spot. While the Canadian Salman Nazar will do the duty of spin all-rounder.

TEAM RATING: 7/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Jagjit Randhawa, Salman Nazar, Dale Africa, Junaid Siddiqui, and Leonardo Julien.

ATLANTA PARAM VEERS

SQUAD: Rayad Emrit (captain), Chris Gayle, Param Patel, Corey Anderson, Akeal Hosein, Khary Pierre, Darpan Patel, Damien Ebanks, Wayne Parnell, Fabian Allen, Marquino Mindley, Kissoondath Magram, Garth Garvey, Steven Taylor, Delray Rawlins, Kesrick Williams, Evroy Dyer, Mark Parchment, Ishmael Parchment, Heer Patel.

TEAM ANALYSIS

When a team has the Universe Boss, you do not have to explain other players but the Atlanta Param Veers have global stars like Fabian Allen, Kesrick Williams, Wayne Parnell, Corey Anderson, Khary Pierre, and their skipper the Trinidadian Rayat Emrit. The Param Veers also have some the USA cricketers like the openers Steven Taylor and Evroy Dyer. While the all-rounder in Mark Parchment strengthens the balance. They also have some West Indian first-class players in Damien Ebanks, the all-rounder Marquino Mindley, and wrist spinner Kissoondath Magram.

TEAM RATING: 8/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Chris Gayle, Kesrick Williams, Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, and Khary Pierre.


PUNJAB BLUES

SQUAD: Gary Bhullar, Harry Bhullar, Iknoor Singh, Gurinder Saini, Sachal Magon, Mohammad Asif, Amitoze Singh, Nikhil Kanchan, Rranaq Sharma, Jay Singh, Tirth Patel, Aditya Joshi, Abhimanyu Rajp, Chetan Rajpoot, Masoom Patel, Derwin Christian, Sainikeathen Reddy, Saurabh Joshi, Zubair Ilyas, Vinay Chauhan.

TEAM ANALYSIS

Another all-base covered team without any global stars but the men who knew how to pull off extraordinary stunts in front of the supergiants. The wicketkeeper-batsman Derwain Christian and the Indian domestic talents in Rranaq Sharma, Amitoze Singh, Harry Bhullar, and Gary Bhullar will be the core of Punjab Blues.

TEAM RATING: 6/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Rranaq Sharma, Derwain Christian Amitoze Singh, Harry Bhullar, and Gary Bhullar.



AFGHAN ZWANAN

SQUAD: Siva Kumar, Nawaz Khan, Assad Fudadin, Harish Kakani, Ronsford Beaton, Cody Chetty, Mario Rampersaud, Dominique Rikki, Gaurav Bajaj, Ryan Francis, Earl Henningham, Kirk Thomson, Zia Shahzad, Zaki Sultani, Akeem Dodson, Esa Kinarai, Sher Afzal, Taha Jamal, Shakaib Rehan Reahimi, Mohmmad Chowdhury.

TEAM ANALYSIS

The Andhra all-rounder Siva Kumar is going to be the marquee player for the Afghans. Siva would be helped by the West Indian batter Assad Fudadin and Barbados’ wicketkeeper Mario Rampersaud. The all-rounder’s job would be handled by Kirk Thomson, Ryan Francis, and the American Gaurav Bajaj.

TEAM RATING: 5/10

TOP 5 FANTASY PICK: Assad Fudadin, Mario Rampersaud, Siva Kumar, Kirk Thomson, and Ryan Francis.