"We are also thrilled to announce that one of the greatest bowlers of all time Dale Steyn will join the Kandy Tuskers squad!" the franchise said on their official Twitter handle.

Earlier, Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor joined the squad for the tournament where Tuskers are slated to face Colombo Kings  in the opening match.

"We are excited to announce that Brendan Taylor has joined #TuskerNation!" Tuskers said in another tweet.

Chris Gayle and Liam Plunkett, who were slated to play for Tuskers, had pulled out of the event.

Pakistan's Shoaib Malik, who was also slated to play for the franchise in the LPL, tested positive for Covid-19. "Unfortunately Shoaib Malik, our own Kandy Tusker has tested positive for Covid-19. We hope he has a speedy recovery and is back in time for the LPL," the franchise informed on Friday.

Kandy Tuskers, Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Hawks, Colombo Kings and Jaffna Stallions are the five teams participating in the tournament.

The T20 tournament, which will comprise of 23 matches, will see double headers being played on each day till the semi-finals which will be played on December 13 and 14. The final will be played on December 16. All the matches will be played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota.