Galle Gladiators in 2020

The Galle Gladiators (abbreviated as GG) is a franchise cricket team which played in the inaugural season of the Lanka Premier League. The team is based in Galle, Southern Province, Sri Lanka. The team remained under the captaincy of Pakistani cricketer, Shahid Afridi, for the first three matches. However, due to an emergency, the captain left the league for the remaining matches of the tournament, and Bhanuka Rajapaksa assumed the captaincy.[6][7] The team was coached by Pakistani cricket coach Moin Khan. The team is owned by Pakistani organizer Nadeem Omar, who also owns the Pakistan Super League's Quetta Gladiators.[8][9][10][11]

Galle Gladiators
2020 season
CoachMoin Khan[1]
CaptainShahid Afridi[2]
Bhanuka Rajapaksa[3]
2020 LPLRunners-up
Most runsDanushka Gunathilaka (476)[4]
Most wicketsDhananjaya Lakshan (13)[5]
2021 →

The team qualified for the semi-finals in the 2020 season after winning only two out of eight matches, due to having a higher run rate than its competitor, Kandy Tuskers. The team qualified for the final after trouncing Colombo Kings in the semi-finals.[12] However, they lost in the final to the Jaffna Stallions.[13]

Season summary

In the Galle Gladiators' first-ever LPL match, they played against the Jaffna Stallions. They won the toss and elected to bat first. However, they did not accomplish much besides 58 runs off 23 balls from their captain Shahid Afridi. Stallions won by 8 wickets.[14] Rain affected the second game against the Colombo Kings, with the match being reduced to 5 overs per side. At the end, the Kings batted as Andre Russell hit an unbeaten 65 runs to help the Kings win by 34 runs over the Gladiators.[15]

In the third game of their campaign, the Gladiators came up against the Kandy Tuskers. They conceded 196/5 to the Tuskers batsman, but apart from 82 runs off 53 balls from Danushka Gunathilaka, the Gladiators lost this match.[16] In their fourth game, against the Stallions, the Gladiators' batting once again collapsed, aside from another 50 runs by Gunathilaka. The Gladiators' bowling did not fare much better, as they allowed the Stallions to chase the target.[17]

Their fifth game, against the Dambulla Viiking, was a much closer affair. Gunathilaka hit his third fifty in a row and he was well-supported by wicket-keeper batsman Azam Khan, who also hit a fifty. However, the Gladiators lost the game by nine runs.[18] In their sixth game, the Gladiators fared much better, bowling the Colombo Kings out for 170 runs. This was largely due to Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir, who took five wickets conceding 26 runs, taking the LPL's first-ever 5 wickets in the process. The Gladiators chased this total down to give them their first win of the season.[19]

The Gladiators came into the seventh game facing the Dambulla Viiking. Samiullah Shinwari's 46 runs off 20 balls helped the Viikings chase down the target of 168 runs.[20] The Gladiator's eighth match, against the Kandy Tuskers, was a virtual quarter-final, with the winner going into the semi-final and the loser going out. Gunathilaka once again was the man with the bat for Galle, as he hit an unbeaten 94 runs to help the Gladiators chase down the target of 126 runs and qualify for the semi-final.[21] This meant the Gladiators finished in fourth place on the table.[22]

The Gladiators opposed Colombo Kings in the semi-final. They were impeccable with the bowling: the pace trio of Mohammad Amir, Nuwan Thushara, and Dhananjaya Lakshan gave away just 80 runs, in 12 overs, picking up 4 wickets. However, with the batting, the Gladiators had enough opportunity to steal the win from Kings. When the game reached its final over, the Gladiators needed 15 off 6 balls. Lakshan struck two sixes, and later Lakshan Sandakan concluded the game by striking a four, giving the Gladiators the win, and they advanced to the final.[23]

The team opposed Jaffna Stallions in the 2020 LPL Final. Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik thumped 46 runs off 35 balls and the Stallions set the target of 189 runs. The Gladiators' performance deteriorated, however, as skipper Lakshan hammered 40 off 17 balls, and Pakistani cricketer Azam Khan scored 36 runs off 17 balls. The tournament ended with the Stallions winning the inaugural Lanka Premier League trophy after recording a comprehensive 53-run win over the Gladiators.[13]

Squad
  • Players with international caps are listed in bold
  • Ages given as of 26 November 2020, the date the first match in the tournament was played
No. Name Nationality Date of birth (age) Batting style Bowling style Notes
Batsmen
70 Danushka Gunathilaka  Sri Lanka (1991-03-17)17 March 1991 (aged 29) Left-handed Right-arm offbreak
25 Bhanuka Rajapaksa  Sri Lanka (1991-10-24)24 October 1991 (aged 29) Left-handed Right-arm medium-fast Vice Captain
41 Colin Ingram  South Africa (1985-07-03)3 July 1985 (aged 35) Left-handed Right-arm legspin Overseas
3 Hazratullah Zazai  Afghanistan (1998-03-23)23 March 1998 (aged 22) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox Overseas
93 Ahsan Ali  Pakistan (1993-12-10)10 December 1993 (aged 26) Right-handed Right-arm leg break Overseas
N/A Sahan Arachchige  Sri Lanka (1996-05-13)13 May 1996 (aged 24) Left-handed Right-arm offbreak
All-rounders
34 Shehan Jayasuriya  Sri Lanka (1991-09-12)12 September 1991 (aged 29) Left-handed Right-arm offbreak
4 Milinda Siriwardana  Sri Lanka (1985-12-04)4 December 1985 (aged 34) Left-handed Slow left-arm orthodox
10 Akila Dananjaya  Sri Lanka (1993-10-04)4 October 1993 (aged 27) Left-handed
10 Shahid Afridi  Pakistan (1975-03-01)1 March 1975 (aged 45) Right-handed Right-arm legspin Captain, Overseas marquee player
N/A Chanaka Ruwansiri  Sri Lanka (1989-10-14)14 October 1989 (aged 31) Right-handed Right-arm offbreak
17 Dhananjaya Lakshan  Sri Lanka (1998-10-05)5 October 1998 (aged 22) Left-handed Right-arm
N/A Duvindu Tillakaratne  Sri Lanka (1996-09-09)9 September 1996 (aged 24) Right-handed Left-arm orthodox
Wicket-keepers
54 Sarfaraz Ahmed  Pakistan (1987-05-22)22 May 1987 (aged 33) Right-handed Right-arm offbreak Overseas
59 Chadwick Walton  West Indies (1985-07-03)3 July 1985 (aged 35) Right-handed — Overseas
45 Azam Khan  Pakistan (1998-08-10)10 August 1998 (aged 22) Right-handed — Overseas
Bowlers
99 Lasith Malinga  Sri Lanka (1983-08-28)28 August 1983 (aged 37) Right-handed Right-arm fast Icon player
85 Lakshan Sandakan  Sri Lanka (1991-06-10)10 June 1991 (aged 29) Right-handed Left-arm wrist-spin
78 Asitha Fernando  Sri Lanka (1997-07-31)31 July 1997 (aged 23) Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
5 Mohammad Amir  Pakistan (1992-04-13)13 April 1992 (aged 28) Left-handed Left-arm fast Overseas
58 Waqas Maqsood  Pakistan (1987-11-04)4 November 1987 (aged 33) Right-handed Left-arm medium fast Overseas
N/A Mohamed Shiraz  Sri Lanka (1995-02-13)13 February 1995 (aged 25) Right-handed Right-arm fast
4 Nuwan Thushara  Sri Lanka (1994-08-06)6 August 1994 (aged 26) Right-handed Right-arm medium-fast
23 Abdul Nasir  Pakistan (1998-12-25)25 December 1998 (aged 21) Right-handed Right-arm offbreak Overseas

Administration and support staff

Galle Gladiators is owned by Pakistani organizer Nadeem Omar, who also owns the Pakistan Super League's team Quetta Gladiators. Former Pakistani cricketer Zaheer Abbas was appointed as the team's chairman for the season.[30] The team was coached by Pakistani cricketer Moin Khan,[1] and Upul Chandana was assistant coach.[31] Pakistani cricketers Wasim Akram and Azam Khan were the team mentor and manager, respectively.[32][33]

Position Name Ref.
Chairman Zaheer Abbas [30]
Head coach Moin Khan [1]
Assistant coach Upul Chandana [34][31]
Mentor Wasim Akram [32]
Manager Azam Khan [33]

Season standings

League table
Pos Team Pld W L NR Pts NRR
1 Colombo Kings 8 6 2 0 12 0.448
2 Dambulla Viiking 8 5 2 1 11 −0.087
3 Jaffna Stallions (C) 8 4 3 1 9 0.788
4 Galle Gladiators (R) 8 2 6 0 4 −0.203
5 Kandy Tuskers 8 2 6 0 4 −0.890
Source: ESPNCricinfo
  • The top four teams qualified for the playoffs
  •   Advanced to semifinals

Matches
  denotes the winning team.   denotes the losing team.
Date Opponent Toss Result MotM Notes
27 November Jaffna Stallions Galle Gladiators elected to bat Jaffna Stallions won by 8 wickets Avishka Fernando [35]
28 November Colombo Kings Galle Gladiators elected to field Colombo Kings won by 34 runs Andre Russell [36]
30 November Kandy Tuskers Galle Gladiators elected to field Kandy Tuskers won by 25 runs Brendan Taylor [37]
3 December Jaffna Stallions Galle Gladiators elected to bat Jaffna Stallions won by 5 wickets Avishka Fernando [38]
5 December Dambulla Viiking Dambulla Viiking elected to bat Dambulla Viiking won by 9 runs Anwar Ali [39]
7 December Colombo Kings Colombo Kings elected to bat Galle Gladiators won by 8 wickets Mohammad Amir [40]
9 December Dambulla Viiking Dambulla Viiking elected to field Dambulla Viiking won by 4 wickets Samiullah Shinwari [41]
10 December Kandy Tuskers Galle Gladiators elected to field Galle Gladiators won by 9 wickets Danushka Gunathilaka [42]
13 December Colombo Kings Galle Gladiators elected to field Galle Gladiators won by 2 wickets Dhananjaya Lakshan Won the semi–final[43]
16 December Jaffna Stallions Jaffna Stallions elected to bat Jaffna Stallions won by 53 runs Shoaib Malik Lost the final[44][45]

Statistics

Most runs

The top scorer of Galle Gladiators was Danushka Gunathilaka, who also scored the most runs in 2020 season of LPL than any other team batsman, though the team won only 3 matches.[46] Azam Khan was the second top scorer who made 215 runs. The third and fourth positions were taken by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Shehan Jayasuriya, respectively. Like the second position, the fifth position was taken by Pakistani cricketer Ahsan Ali, who scored 117 matches in 7 matches.

* indicates a player who remained not out.[4]
Batsman Matches Runs Highest score
Danushka Gunathilaka 10 476 94*
Azam Khan 10 215 55
Bhanuka Rajapaksa 10 180 40
Shehan Jayasuriya 10 119 39
Ahsan Ali 7 117 56

Most wickets

Dhananjaya Lakshan took 13 wickets in 8 matches, placing second in the season's for most wickets. Lakshan Sandakan took 12 wickets.[47] The only fifer of the season was taken by Mohammad Amir, a Pakistani bowler.[48][49][50]

Notation 5/26 denotes 5 wickets obtained by 26 runs.[5]
Bowler Matches Wickets Best bowling
Dhananjaya Lakshan 8 13 3/36
Lakshan Sandakan 8 12 3/32
Mohammad Amir 10 11 5/26
Sahan Arachchige 5 4 2/24
Shehan Jayasuriya 10 4 1/0

Awards and achievements

Galle Gladiators won only three matches in the season, therefore three man of the match awards were given to the team players. The first award was given to Mohammad Amir for taking the only fifer in 2020 LPL against Colombo Kings. Danushka Gunathilaka also got an award for making 94 runs in a single inning. The third award was given to Dhananjaya Lakshan.

Date Award Player Opponent Result Contribution Ref.
7 December Man of the Match Mohammad Amir Colombo Kings Won by 8 wickets 5/26 [51]
10 December Danushka Gunathilaka Kandy Tuskers Won by 9 wickets 94* (66) [52]
14 December Dhananjaya Lakshan Colombo Kings Won by 2 wickets 31* (23) [53]

References
  1. "LPL 2020 Coaches: Every Team Head Coach In Lanka Premier League". Wisden. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  2. "LPL 2020: Shahid Afridi appointed captain of Galle Gladiators". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  3. "LPL: Galle Gladiators appoint Shahid Afridi as captain, Bhanuka Rajapaksa as vice-captain". 22 November 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  4. "GG Most Runs in Lpl 2020". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  5. "GG Most Wickets in LPL 2020". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  6. "Lanka Premier League 2020: Galle Gladiators captain Shahid Afridi to return home due to personal emergency". Sportskeeda. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  7. "Shahid Afridi leaves Lanka Premier League". TheCricketer. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  8. Khan, Muhammad Asif (2 September 2020). "Gladiators to be part of Lanka Premier League". ScoreLine.
  9. "Quetta Gladiator Owner Buys LPLT20 Team". 3 September 2020.
  10. "Galle Gladiators have the firepower to win LPL title: Nadeem Omar". DAWN.COM. 23 October 2020.
  11. Rehman, Sajawal. "Galle Gladiators to Represent Pakistan in Lanka Premier League".
  12. "Galle Gladiators stun Colombo Kings in pulsating contest to reach Lanka Premier League final". SkySports. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  13. "Jaffna Stallions win inaugural Lanka Premier League with thumping final win over Galle Gladiators". SkySports. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  14. "Avishka Fernando's 92* trumps Shahid Afridi blitz to give Jaffna Stallions winning start". ESPN Cricinfo.
  15. "Andre Russell hammers 65 off 19 balls, Colombo Kings make 96 to win five-over shootout". ESPN Cricinfo.
  16. "All-round Kandy Tuskers withstand sparkling Danushka Gunathilaka 82 to notch first win". ESPN Cricinfo.
  17. "Wanindu Hasaranga, Avishka Fernando lead Jaffna Stallions to fourth straight win". ESPN Cricinfo.
  18. "Dambulla Viiking sneak into semi-finals despite Gunathilaka, Azam heroics". ESPN Cricinfo.
  19. "Pakistan duo Mohammad Amir, Ahsan Ali hand Galle Gladiators maiden win in LPL 2020". ESPN Cricinfo.
  20. "Samiullah Shinwari blitz keeps sloppy Galle Gladiators bottom". ESPN Cricinfo.
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  25. "Yahoo Cricket". cricket.yahoo.net.
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  29. "ShieldSquare Captcha". validate.perfdrive.com. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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  31. Desk, Sport. "Upul Chandana | Bowling and Fielding Coach, Galle Gladiators". Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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  33. "Galle Gladiators have the firepower to win LPL title: Nadeem Omar". DAWN.COM. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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  36. "Kings beat Gladiators Kings won by 34 runs - Kings vs Gladiators, 4th Match Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo.
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  39. "Viiking beat Gladiators Viiking won by 9 runs - Viiking vs Gladiators, 12th Match Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo.
  40. "Gladiators beat Kings Gladiators won by 8 wickets - Kings vs Gladiators, 14th Match Match Summary, Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo.
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  44. "Gladiators vs TBA, Final Match Details, Schedule, Summary | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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  47. "Lanka Premier League Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  48. "Lanka Premier League Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  49. "LPL 2020: Mohammad Amir claims first 5-wicket haul of LPL history". www.geosuper.tv. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
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  51. "Pakistan duo Mohammad Amir, Ahsan Ali hand Galle Gladiators maiden win in LPL 2020". www.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
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