Mumbai, Jul 17 (IANS): With top white-ball practitioners like Rassie Van Der Dussen, Mohammed Rizwan of Pakistan and Afghanistan's Najibullah Zadran, Vancouver Knights are hoping for a successful campaign in the third edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament, set to kick off on July 20 at the TD Cricket Arena, Brampton Sports Park.

Also in the fray beside Vancouver Knights, are formidable sides including Mississauga Panthers, Toronto Nationals, Brampton Wolves, Montreal Tigers and the Surrey Jaguars.

In the inaugural edition of the tournament, the Knights brought home the title while in their second edition, they registered another enviable performance; a second-placed berth on the points table, followed up by a hard-fought encounter in the finals, to finish as runners-up.

Head Coach Donovan Miller, who is back for his third season with the franchise, reiterated his eagerness for the upcoming tournament.

“We are really excited about the tournament, we recently completed our player draft, and we have a very nice balanced team. The most exciting factor about our team is the mix of the Canadian players we have drafted, many of them featured in our championship-winning team from 2018. I am looking forward to their performance, and looking forward to Brampton and Canada," he said.

Returning to the mix is Rassie Van Der Dussen, an integral cog to their success so far, he will be playing his third season for the Vancouver Knights. Last season he was amongst the top scorers, amassing over 200 runs in just five games.

The team will also feature Pakistani wicket-keeper Mohammed Rizwan who currently holds the second position in the ICC T20I batsmen rankings and the explosive prowess of Najibullah Zadran, from Afghanistan.

Also returning to the Knights from their championship season is the Canadian National player, Ravinderpal Singh. He expressed his delight in returning to the team, hoping to replicate their success from 2018 and to learn from some of the finest players in the world.

“I am thrilled to be a part of season 3 of Global T20 Canada and in particular the Vancouver Knights. We were the champions of the first season and hopefully, we can repeat that performance. I am also looking forward to playing with superstars like Mohammad Rizwan and Rassie Van Der Dussen to learn from them.”

The Vancouver Knight will commence their campaign on July 21 at the TD Cricket Arena, Brampton Sports Park, where they will face the Toronto Nationals in the first clash of the day.