Lanka Premier League

The Lanka Premier League (abbreviated as LPL; Sinhala: ලංකා ප්‍රිමියර් ලීග්, Tamil: லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக்) is a professional franchise cricket league established in 2020 in Sri Lanka. Matches are played using the Twenty20 cricket format by five teams named after Sri Lankan cities.[3][4] The league was intended to commence in 2018, but repeatedly postponed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).[5] The inaugural edition took place in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lanka Premier League
Logo of Lanka Premier League
CountriesSri Lanka
AdministratorSri Lanka Cricket
FormatTwenty20
First edition2020
Latest edition2023
Next edition2024
Tournament formatDouble Round-robin and playoffs
Number of teams5
Current championB-Love Kandy (1st title)
Most successfulJaffna Kings (3 titles)
Most runsAvishka Fernando (1,165)[1]
Most wicketsWanindu Hasaranga (55)[2]
Websitelplt20sl.com
Tournaments

As of 2023, there have been four seasons of the tournament.[6] The current title holder team is B-Love Kandy, who won the 2023 Lanka Premier League by defeating Dambulla Aura in the final.[7]

History

The first season of the league was initially planned to be held from 18 August to 10 September 2018,[5][8][9] but this was postponed multiple times due to administrative issues within Sri Lanka Cricket.[10][11][12] In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, SLC announced the tournament would start on 28 August 2020,[13][14] with 70 overseas players showing an interest in playing in the league.[15] In August 2020, Ravin Wickramaratne, the Vice President of SLC was officially appointed as the director of the tournament.[16] After being rescheduled due to pandemic related restrictions, the first season began on 26 November 2020.

In May 2022, Samantha Dodanwala was officially appointed as the LPL tournament director.[17] The third edition was scheduled to take place in August 2022, but due to the ongoing Sri Lankan economic crisis and the resultant 2022 Sri Lankan protests, was postponed despite the player draft having already been held.[18]

Teams
Locations of Lanka Premier League teams

Current teams
Team City Debut Owner Captain Coach
Colombo Strikers Colombo, Western Province 2023 Sagar Khanna Niroshan Dickwella Simon Helmot
Dambulla Aura Dambulla, Central Province 2022 Viranjith Thambugala Kusal Mendis Avishka Gunawardene
Galle Titans Galle, Southern Province 2023 Nayana Wasalathilaka Dasun Shanaka Chamara Kapugedara
Jaffna Kings Jaffna, Northern Province 2021 Subaskaran Allirajah Thisara Perera Thilina Kandamby
B-Love Kandy Kandy, Central Province 2023 Omar Khan Wanindu Hasaranga Piyal Wijetunge

Franchise history
Franchise
(Owner)		 City 2020 2021 2022 2023
Colombo Colombo, Western Province Colombo Kings
(Murfad Mustafa)		 Colombo Stars
(Ashok Pathirage)		 Colombo Strikers
(Sagar Khanna)
Dambulla Dambulla, Central Province Dambulla Viiking
(Sachiin J. Joshi)		 Dambulla Giants
(Qamar Khan)		 Dambulla Aura
(Viranjith Thambugala)
Galle Galle, Southern Province Galle Gladiators
(Nadeem Omar)		 Galle Titans
(Nayana Wasalathilaka)
Jaffna Jaffna, Northern Province Jaffna Stallions
(Anandan Arnold; Rahul Sood)		 Jaffna Kings
(Subaskaran Allirajah)
Kandy Kandy, Central Province Kandy Tuskers
(Sohail Khan; Abbas Muni)		 Kandy Warriors
(Ravi Gupta; Pankaj Tripathi)		 Kandy Falcons
(Parvez Khan)		 B-Love Kandy
(Omar Khan)

Organisation

Player acquisition, squad composition and salaries

In the league's first three seasons, teams chose players using a draft system, having previously had the opportunity to sign a limited number of players directly.[19] For the 2023 season, an auction was introduced. Each franchise was allowed to directly sign two local players and two overseas players ahead of the auction. Each franchise operated with a salary cap of US$1 million, US500,000 of which could be spent on direct signings with the remaining spent in the auction.[20]

Governing Council

Sri Lanka Cricket, which is responsible for all elements of the tournament, established a governing council to administer the league. Members of the governing council include Sri Lanka CEO Ashley de Silva. The marketing and organisation rights to the LPL were awarded to an Indian-owned Dubai-based company, Innovative Production Group (IPG) in 2020.[21]

Finances

The inaugural edition of the league reached a cumulative audience of 557 million through TV, digital-social media and traditional media.[22] According to the 2021 Annual Report of Sri Lanka Cricket, The league generated revenue of LKR334 million in 2020. In 2021, the revenue was LKR463 million.[23]

FranchiseValuation
Jaffna KingsUS$3.98 million
Galle GladiatorsUS$3.82 million
Dambulla ViikingUS$3.54 million
Colombo KingsUS$3.44 million
Kandy TuskersUS$3.19 million

Source: Newswire.lk, June 2021

Criticism

Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe raised the issue of the need to regulate Lanka Premier League franchise owners and sponsors during the parliamentary adjournment debate on Sri Lanka Cricket's expenditure for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Some of the sponsors of the 2023 Lanka Premier League included gambling companies and unauthorized foreign exchange trading platforms. Minister of Justice Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe claimed that B-Love Network, the owners of the Kandy franchise, is banned in Sri Lanka.[24]

Seasons

Out of the five franchises that have played in the league, only the Jaffna franchise has won the tournament. Jaffna Stallions won the inaugural season, defeating Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final.[25][26][27] The following season, Jaffna Kings beat Galle by 23 runs[28] and in 2022 defeated Colombo Stars by 2 wickets to win their third consecutive title.[29]

Finals
Season Final Player of the season
Venue Winners Result Runners-up
2020

Details

 Hambantota Jaffna Stallions
188/6 (20 overs)		 Jaffna Stallions won
by 53 runs.
Scorecard		 Galle Gladiators
135/9 (20 overs)		 Wanindu Hasaranga
(Jaffna Stallions)
2021

Details

 Hambantota Jaffna Kings
201/3 (20 overs)		 Jaffna Kings won
by 23 runs.
Scorecard		 Galle Gladiators
178/9 (20 overs)		 Avishka Fernando
(Jaffna Kings)
2022

Details

 Colombo Jaffna Kings
164/8 (19.2 overs)		 Jaffna Kings won
by 2 wickets
Scorecard		 Colombo Stars
163/5 (20 overs)		 Sadeera Samarawickrama
(Jaffna Kings)
2023

Details

 Colombo B-Love Kandy
151/5 (19.5 overs)		 B-Love Kandy won
by 5 wickets
Scorecard		 Dambulla Aura
147/4 (20 overs)		 Wanindu Hasaranga
(B-Love Kandy)

Team playing records
As of 19 August 2023
Teams Mat Won Lost Tie & W Tie & L NR
Colombo Franchise 37 17 19 1 0 0
Dambulla Franchise 36 18 15 0 1 2
Galle Franchise 39 13 23 1 0 1
Jaffna Franchise 40 25 14 0 0 1
Kandy Franchise 36 16 18 0 1 0

Source: CricInfo[30]

Notes:

  • Tie & W and Tie & L indicates the matches tied and then won by or lost by super over respectively.

Team's performance
Season 2020 2021 2022 2023
Colombo Franchise SF 4th RU 5th
Dambulla Franchise SF 3rd 5th RU
Galle Franchise RU RU 4th 3rd
Jaffna Franchise C C C 4th
Kandy Franchise 5th 5th 3rd C

Records
As of 19 August 2023

Team records

Batting records
Career individual runs
Runs Player Teams Seasons
1,165 Avishka FernandoJaffna Stallions, Jaffna Kings, Dambulla Aura2020–2023
1,045 Dinesh ChandimalColombo Kings, Colombo Stars, B-Love Kandy2020–2023
1,044 Kusal MendisKandy Tuskers, Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Aura2020–2023
776 Rahmanullah GurbazKandy Tuskers, Jaffna Kings2020–2023
702 Dhanushka GunathilakaGalle Gladiators2020–2021

Source: CricInfo[33]

Highest individual score
Runs Player Team Opposition Venue Date
108* Laurie EvansColombo KingsJaffna StallionsHambantota10 December 2020
104 Babar AzamColombo StrikersGalle TitansPallekele7 August 2023
102* Andre FletcherKandy FalconsColombo StarsHambantota6 December 2022
100 Avishka FernandoJaffna KingsDambulla GiantsHambantota21 December 2021
97* Thisara PereraJaffna StallionsDambulla ViikingHambantota30 November 2020

Source: CricInfo[1]

Bowling records
Career wickets
Wickets Player Teams Seasons
55 Wanindu HasarangaJaffna Stallions, Jaffna Kings, Kandy Falcons, B-Love Kandy2020–2023
42 Nuwan PradeepKandy Tuskers, Dambulla Giants, Galle Gladiators, B-Love Kandy2020–2023
41 Nuwan ThusharaGalle Gladiators, Jaffna Kings2020–2023
33 Maheesh TheekshanaJaffna Stallions, Jaffna Kings2020–2023
30 Kasun RajithaDambulla Viiking, Colombo Stars, Galle Titans2020–2023

Source: CricInfo[34]

Best bowling in an innings
Figures Player Team Opposition Venue Date
6/9 Wanindu HasarangaB-Love KandyJaffna KingsColombo17 August 2023
6/25 Jeffrey VandersayColombo StarsKandy WarriorsColombo17 December 2021
5/13 Nuwan ThusharaGalle GladiatorsJaffna KingsHambantota19 December 2021
5/22 Kasun RajithaColombo StarsDambulla AuraPallekele14 December 2022
5/26 Mohammad AmirGalle GladiatorsColombo KingsHambantota7 December 2020

Source: CricInfo[2]

References
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  2. "Most career wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. "SLC optimistic about inaugural Lanka Premier League despite concerns over border reopening". Zee News. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  4. "Lanka Premier League 2020: Sri Lanka Cricket to confirm fixtures after decision on India series". The Sports Rush. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  5. "Sri Lanka Cricket to launch Lankan Premier League 2018". ThePapare.com. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  6. "Series results". ESPNcricinfo. 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  7. Records in Lanka Premier League ESPNCricinfo
  8. "SLC set to relaunch Sri Lanka Premier League in August 2018; Nidahas Trophy to act as launch pad". FirstCricket. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  9. "Sunday Times – Cricket: Sri Lanka to launch LPL with five-year window in August–September". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  10. "SLC shambles lead to postponement of Lankan Premier League". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 11 July 2018.
  11. "Lankan Premier League (LPL) postponed". ThePapare.com. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  12. "Lankan Premier League revival in the works – SLC secretary Mohan De Silva". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  13. "Sri Lanka plan Lanka Premier League in August". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  14. "Lanka Premier League to start on August 28". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  15. "Lanka Premier League: Irfan Pathan in pool of 70 foreign players for draft". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  16. "Sri Lanka Cricket Vice President Ravin Wickramaratne officially appointed LPL Tournament Director". cricketage.in. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  17. Samantha Dodanwela appointed LPL Tournament Director Thepapare.com Retrieved 4 May 2022
  18. Fernando, Andrew Fidel (17 July 2022). "LPL 2022 postponed due to economic situation in Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  19. LPL Player Draft 2022 | Players List
  20. LPL Season 4 to have IPL-style auction for the five squads
  21. Tagore, Vijay (2 August 2020). "Indian-owned Dubai firm bags Lanka Premier League rights". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  22. "LPL team valuation chart released : Jaffna tops with $3.98m". newswire.lk. Wire Digital Pvt Ltd. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  23. "Annual Report 2021" (PDF). srilankacricket.lk. Sri Lanka Cricket. 2023. p. 129. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  24. "Concerns over LPL 4 franchise ownerships". The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  25. "Jaffna claimed the madain title of LPL". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  26. "Jaffna Stallions win inaugural Lanka Premier League with thumping final win over Galle Gladiators". SkySports. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  27. "LPL 2020 Finals : Jaffna Stallions wins Lanka Premier League title, beat Galle Gladiators in LPL Finals". InsideSport. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  28. "Avishka, Kohler-Cadmore fire Jaffna Kings to second successive LPL title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  29. "Avishka, Samarawickrama lead Jaffna Kings to third straight LPL title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  30. "Lanka Premier League Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  31. "Highest totals". ESPNcricinfo. 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  32. "Lowest totals". ESPNcricinfo. 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  33. Most runs, Records in Lanka Premier League, CricInfo. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  34. "Most career wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
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