LPL Archives

SLC postpones LPL 2025 to focus on T20 World Cup preparations

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday announced the postponement of the sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in a bid to prepare for the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The Premier League was initially scheduled to be played in the November-December window; however, the tournament has now been moved ahead.

This comes as Sri Lanka and India are set to host the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be played from February 7 to March 8.

The board cited better preparation for the following year’s mega event as the main reason behind the postponement of the tournament.

“Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to announce that the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2025 will not be held this year as originally planned,” the board statement read.

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The decision was taken after careful consideration of the broader requirement of preparing well in advance for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India during February – March 2026,” it added.

The cricket board also emphasized venue upgradation and infrastructure ahead of the World Cup.

“SLC believes this decision will provide adequate time to work on enhancing and upgrading the ground infrastructure to conduct a successful tournament in the country.”

For the unversed, the 20-team tournament is likely to be played across five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka.

The 2026 tournament will retain the same format as the previous edition, with 20 teams divided into four groups of five. The top two from each group will advance to the Super Eight stage, followed by semi-finals and the final.

READ: India adamant on not taking Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi

LPL to confirm new owners for Dambulla franchise soon

Lanka Premier League (LPL) organisers on Thursday confirmed that they will soon announce the new owners of the Dambulla franchise.

The statement after the arrest of Dambulla Thunders co-owner Tamim Rahman on Wednesday over alleged involvement in match-fixing.

Rahman was stopped at the airport in Colombo before he was able to board a flight to Dubai and remanded in custody by a court in the Sri Lankan capital until May 31.

Consequently, the Dambulla Thunders franchise was terminated under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act by Sri Lanka Cricket.

However, LPL rights holder IPG Group confirmed that the LPL 2024 will still go ahead with five teams as the Dambulla franchise will be taken over by new owners.

“The Dambulla franchise, despite the recent changes, will participate under new ownership,” IPG Group said in a statement.

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“We are in the final stages of confirming the new ownership, ensuring a seamless transition and uninterrupted participation of the team in the tournament.”

Notably, Dambulla Thunders paid $450,000 to sign 24 players during the LPL auction on Tuesday. The same squad will play for the franchise irrespective of the change in ownership. Pakistan’s Iftikhar Ahmed and Haider Ali are also part of the squad.

Meanwhile, Rahman, who has extensive business ties to Bangladesh, was under investigation for alleged offences related to match-fixing and organised betting, police told the court.

A special police unit dealing with corruption in sports carried out the arrest, the first involving an official of the LPL since it began four years ago.

Those convicted under the Sports Act face fines of up to 100 million rupees ($333,300) and jail sentences of up to 10 years.

For the unversed, the fifth edition of the LPL will run from July 1 to 21 and will be played across three venues Colombo, Dambulla, and Kandy.

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B-Love Kandy crush Dambulla Aura to win maiden LPL title

COLOMBO: A combined effort from the bowlers, followed by Kamindu Mendis’s brilliant 44-run knock led B-Love Kandy to thump Dambulla Aura by five wickets to win the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 title.

In a rematch of the two top-placed sides in the LPL 2023 final, B-Love Kandy emerged victorious despite missing their in-form skipper Wanindu Hasaranga — the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker of the tournament.

The table-toppers Dambulla Aura won the toss and opted to bat first.

However, their batting lineup failed to justify the decision of batting first and could pile a modest total of 147/4 in 20 overs against B-Love Kandy bowling attack, which lacked Hasaranga.

The Aura had a dismal start to their innings as Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Avishka Fernando (5) cheaply with just 11 runs on the board in the third over.

Following an early blow, Sadeera Samarawickrama joined his captain Kusal Mendis in the middle and launched recovery.

The pair added 57 runs to the total but remained a touch too slow in the processing.

Dambulla Aura, in dire need of some big hits, sustained a massive blow as both set batters Samarawickrama and Mendis perished in quick succession, leaving them reeling at 71/3 in 10.5 overs.

Samarawickrama scored 36 from 30 balls, hitting five boundaries, while Mendis scored a scratchy 23-ball 22 and could hit three boundaries.

Following the slump, Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera stood out for Dambulla Aura and launched a counterattack on B-Love Kandy.

The pair put on a vital 73-run stand for the fourth wicket and scored at a decent pace before Mohammad Hasnain removed the core aggressor de Silva.

He smashed three sixes on his way to top score for Dambulla Aura with a 29-ball 40.

Perera, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through with a 25-ball 31 which featured two boundaries and a six.

For B-Love Kandy, Chaturanga de Silva bagged two wickets while Hasnain and Pradeep made one scalp each.

Chasing 148, B-Love Kandy completed the pursuit on the penultimate delivery when Lahiru Madushanka (5* off three) hit a match-winning boundary.

B-Love Kandy openers Mohammad Haris and Kamindu Mendis laid a solid foundation for the run chase with a brilliant 49-run stand.

The pair batted sensibly before Noor Ahmad drew a much-needed breakthrough for Dambulla Aura by castling Haris in the seventh over.

The opening batter scored 26 off 22 deliveries, smashing three boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Mendis stood his ground firm and put on another important partnership for B-Love Kandy as he shared a 45-run stand with Dinesh Chandimal before perishing in the 13th over when his side needed a further 54 runs in 44 deliveries.

Following his dismissal, B-Love Kandy sustained two setbacks in quick intervals when Chandimal and Chaturanga de Silva (0) fell in successive overs.

The wicketkeeper batter played a cautious 24-run knock in 22 balls with the help of three boundaries.

Coming out to bat at number six, Asif Ali soon turned the game on its head as he launched a counter-attack with a brief yet crucial cameo.

He shared a match-defining 25-run stand with experienced Angelo Mathews before perishing in the penultimate over after scoring a brisk 19 off 11 deliveries, laced up with two boundaries and a six.

Following his departure, Mathews spearheaded B-Love Kandy’s pursuit and displayed nerves of steel at the death to steer his side to their maiden LPL title.

Mathews scored an unbeaten 25 off 21 deliveries and hit three boundaries.

Despite ending up on a losing side, Noor Ahmad impressed with his sensational figures of 3/27 in four overs while Binura Fernando took two wickets for Dambulla Aura.

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All-round Hasaranga powers B-Love Kandy into LPL final at Titans’ disposal

COLOMBO: Wanindu Hasaranga paired up his 48-run knock with two wickets and muscled B-Love Kandy into the Lanka Premier League (LPL) final with a convincing 34-run victory over Galle Titans in the Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Opting to bat first, B-Love Kandy posted a decent total of 157/7 on the board, courtesy of a match-saving 48-run knock by skipper Hasaranga.

B-Love Kandy got off to a poor start to their innings as they were reduced to 20/3 inside five overs.

Following the slump, Hasaranga joined experienced Dinesh Chandimal at the crease and launched a counterattack with clean hitting.

The pair pulled B-Love Kandy out of trouble, adding 72 runs for the fourth wicket at a brisk rate before Hasaranga faltered and fell just two shy of his half-century.

The all-rounder smashed three boundaries and four sixes on his way to a 30-ball 48.

Chandimal soon followed Hasaranga back to the pavilion after stitching a brief 13-run partnership with Angelo Mathews.

Chandimal scored 38 from 37 deliveries, laced up with three boundaries and a six.

Following his dismissal, Mathews and Chaturanga de Silva added valuable runs at the death and bolstered the team’s total.

Mathews scored 24 off 17 before getting run out in the final over while de Silva played a brisk 15-run cameo in just six deliveries.

Kumara and Sonal Dinusha bagged two wickets each for Galle Titans while Kasun Rajitha and Shakib Al Hasan made one scalp each.

Set to chase 158, Galle Titans’ batting lineup failed and could only raise 123/8 in the allotted overs.

Their openers Litton Das and Lasith Croospulle provided a flying start as they had piled up 37 runs in the first four overs.

Chaturanga de Silva provided a much-needed breakthrough to B-Love Kandy as he dismissed Das in the fifth over, who scored 25 off 19 deliveries.

Galle Titans then lost two wickets — Lasith Croospulle (14) and Sohan de Livera (1) — in quick successions and thus were slipped to 45/3 in the seventh over.

Shakib Al Hasan and Sonal Dinusha then attempted to anchor the run chase as they put on a brief 28-run partnership before the former perished in the 12th over, scoring 17 off 15.

Galle Titans then lost wickets at regular intervals which halted the flow of runs and they were consequently restricted to 123/8 in 20 overs.

Dinusha top-scored for the Titans with a cautious 32-ball 28, hitting a six.

Wanindu Hasaranga-led B-Love Kandy will now take on table-toppers Dambulla Aura in the LPL 2023 final, scheduled on Sunday.

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Hasan Ali undergoes finger surgery during LPL

Right-arm pacer Hasan Ali, underwent surgery on his finger after he suffered an injury while playing for Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) playoff game against Galle Titans.

Hasan Ali managed to bowl three overs and pick a solitary wicket of Tabraiz Shamsi while nursing a finger injury.

However, the injury brought an end to Hasan Ali’s journey in the ongoing edition of LPL, as he won’t be able to participate in the final of LPL.

Hasan shared the news on his official account on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Saddened to share that I suffered a finger injury during our qualifier yesterday and had to go through a surgery for it. A pretty unfortunate end to a great tournament for me personally however will like to look at the positives and thank my team management and medical staff for looking after me. Big thank you to all the fans for supporting me and would now request you all to pray for my recovery,” he posted.

Saddened to share that I suffered a finger injury during our qualifier yesterday and had to go through a surgery for it. A pretty unfortunate end to a great tournament for me personally however will like to look at the positives and thank my team management and medical staff for…

— Hassan Ali 🇵🇰 (@RealHa55an) August 18, 2023

Hasan Ali picked up eight wickets at an astonishing average of 16.12 in the five games he played this season.

His team Dambulla Aura thumped Galle Titans in the first playoff game by seven wickets, thanks to Kusal Perera’s half-century and Hayden Kerr’s three-for, to qualify for the final against the winners of Qualifier 2, to be played tomorrow.

Qualifier 2 will see B-Love Kandy square off against Galle Titans to secure a spot in the final against Dambulla Aura.

B-Love Kandy thrashed defending LPL champions Jaffna Kings in the Eliminator yesterday, as captain Wanindu Hasaranga spun the web around Jaffna King’s batting line to return with match-winning figures of 6-9.

He claimed the first five-wicket haul in this year’s LPL and the best-ever bowling figures in the league’s history.

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LPL: Hasaranga six-fer lifts B-Love Kandy as Jaffna Kings crash out

COLOMBO: Wanindu Hasaranga, with impressive bowling figures of 6-9, scripted a thumping victory for B-Love Kandy as they defeated defending champions Jaffna Kings by 61 runs in the Eliminator of Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Thursday.

After winning the toss, Jaffna Kings opted to ball first and drew first blood early on as Nuwan Thushara castled Fakhar Zaman in the first over.

However, Dinesh Chandimal recovered Jaffna Kings as he played a quick cameo of 41 runs in 24 balls, featuring six boundaries and one six.

He departed at a total score of 69 in the eighth over, after knitting a solid 39-ball 68 runs partnership with Mohammad Haris.

Hasaranga joined Haris at the crease and started off well, hitting two sixes to Asela Gunaratne, however, the bowler got the last laugh as he was bowled two balls later after scoring 19 off 11.

Mohammad Haris, who anchored through the innings with 38 runs off 32 balls shifted gears in the 14th over hitting 18 runs off Gunaratne and completed his half-century in the process.

Kamindu Mendis rotated strike while Haris attacked Jaffna bowlers amid their 55 runs partnership off 33 balls.

Haris finally departed after scoring 79 runs off 49 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes. Maheesh Theekshana picked up the prized wicket courtesy of stumping by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

B-Love Kandy appeared to be in a position to breach the 200-run mark at the end of the 18th over with 180 runs on the board, however, Jaffna Kings’ bowlers pulled them back as they only managed eight runs in the final two overs to reach 188/8.

Nuwan Thushara topped the bowling card with 4-40, including three wickets in the final over of the innings. Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana and Asela Gunaratne picked up two wickets each.

Jaffna Kings started their chase horribly as they were reduced to 49-4 in seven overs after Wanindu Hasaranga’s double-wicket sixth over.

However, veterans Shoaib Malik and David Miller then knitted a partnership of 52 runs from 33 balls before the latter fell prey to Hasaranga after scoring 26 off 22. Asela Gunaratne followed him two balls later as Hasaranga registered another double-wicket over.

Jaffna Kings needed 88 runs from seven overs with Shoaib Maik and Thisara Perera at the crease, however, Perera perished without opening his account.

Ultimately, the whole team bundled out at a total of 127 in the 18th over as Hasaranga returned for his final over and once again picked two wickets in the over to complete his six-fer.

This was the first five-wicket haul in this year’s LPL and the best-ever bowling figures in the league’s history.

Shoaib Malik top-scored for Jaffna Kings with 31 runs from 23 balls with the help of three boundaries and one six.

After knocking out defending LPL champions Jaffna Kings, B-Love Kandy will now face Galle Titans in the Qualifier 2 of LPL on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dambulla Aura has already qualified for the LPL final after winning Qualifier 1 against Galle Titans.

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Kerr, Perera guide Dambulla Aura to LPL final as Galle Titans falter

COLOMBO: Kusal Perera’s half-century and Hayden Kerr’s three-for powered Dambulla Aura to the final of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as they edged Galle Titans in the Qualifier 1 by seven wickets on Thursday.

Dambulla Aura after winning the toss, struck early with the ball as Binura Fernando sent Banuka Rajapaksa back to the pavilion on the second ball of the innings without any score on the board.

Litton Das also followed Rajapaksa to the pavilion after adding eight runs to the total score of 25.

Lasith Croospulle, on the other end, led the charge for Galle Titans as he formed a solid partnership of 51 runs off 38 deliveries with Shakib Al Hasan before the latter perished, courtesy of Dhananjaya de Silva.

Shakib scored a cautious 19 off 17 laced with three boundaries.

Croospulle kept the Titans in the game, as he reached his fifty in 33 balls while losing partners on the other end.

He ultimately ran out in the last over after playing a sensible 80-run knock in 61 balls with the help of seven boundaries. The whole team was bundled out at the score of 146 on the final ball of the innings.

Besides Croospulle and Shakib, only two other batters managed to reach double figures for Galle Titans.

Hayden Kerr led the bowling attack for Dambulla Aura with impressive figures of 3-18, while Noor Ahmed contributed with two wickets for 27 runs. Hasan Ali, Fernando, and de Silva managed to pick one wicket each.

Dambulla Aura in pursuit of Galle Titan’s 146 to secure their spot in the LPL 2023 final, raced to 29 runs in three overs before opener Avishka Fernando was dismissed by Shakib Al Hasan. Fernando scored a quick-fire 24 off 14 featuring three sixes and one boundary.

The dismissal slowed down the scoring rate for Dambulla Aura as Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama stitched a cautious partnership of 31 off 29.

However, Seekkuge Prasanna removed Samarawickrama to reduce Dambulla Aura to 64-2.

Kusal Perera came down to the middle with Dambulla Aura needing 83 runs off 69 deliveries.

He started off slowly but shifted gears in the latter part of the innings, while Kusal Mendis anchored through the innings as they knitted a 69-run stand from 56 balls before Tabraiz Shamsi removed Mendis.

Kusal Mendis scored 49 runs from 45 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries, while Kusal Perera completed his half-century with a six in 36 balls.

Perera, however, faltered on the first ball of the final over with scores tied as he clubbed a slow full toss back to the bowler, Dasun Shanaka. Alex Ross then scored the final run to seal the deal for Dambulla Aura.

Kusal Perera played a vital knock of 53 runs off 39 balls, featuring four boundaries and three sixes.

Dambulla Aura with this victory booked the slot for the LPL final on August 20, while Galle Titans have another chance to qualify as they will play the Qualifier 2 match on Sunday against the winner of tonight’s Eliminator between defending champions Jaffna Kings and B-Love Kandy.

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Shamsi sinks Colombo Strikers as Galle Titans reach LPL playoffs

COLOMBO: Tabraiz Shamsi took a four-fer and guided Galle Titans to the Lanka Premier League (LPL) playoffs with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Colombo Strikers in the last group stage match on Tuesday.

Galle Titans and Colombo Strikers were placed in fourth and fifth positions in the LPL points table. With only one slot left in the playoffs, this match was a must-win for both teams.

Galle Titans won the toss and asked Colombo Strikers to bat first. Strikers had a horrible start as they were reduced to 19-2 in four overs with both openers back to the pavilion.

Lahiru Kumara bowled both Pathum Nissanka (2) and Babar Azam (6) to script the disaster for Colombo Strikers before Tabraiz Shamsi picked up two wickets in three balls of his first over to inflict further damage.

Nuwanidu Fernando (14) and Mohammad Nawaz (11) then attempted to anchor the innings by knitting a brief 26 runs partnership in 23 balls.

However, Tabraiz Shamsi removed both batters in consecutive overs to add further to the misery of the Strikers.

The scoreboard read 64-6 in 12.4 overs when Mohammad Nawaz departed.

However, the Strikers lost the remaining four wickets in 18 balls, adding only 10 runs and hence were bundled out for a mere 74 runs in 15.4 overs.

Seekkuge Prasanna picked three out of the final four wickets to finish with figures of 3-14, while Tabraiz Shamsi picked four wickets for 20 runs.

Galle Titans lost two early wickets in their pursuit of a small total as Bhanuka Rajapaksa (6) and Litton Das (1), went back to the pavilion with only 19 runs on board.

However, Lasith Croospulle attacked from his end, while Shakib Al Hasan anchored the innings to lead Galle Titans to a comfortable eight-wicket victory inside nine overs. They scripted an unbeaten 56 runs stand in 30 deliveries.

Croospulle top-scored with 42 off 25 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and three sixes, whereas, Shakib scored a cautious 17 off 15 with two boundaries.

This victory rocketed Galle Titans to the second position on the LPL points table, and they will now face Dambulla Aura in Qualifier 1 tomorrow.

Meanwhile, B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings will square off in the Eliminator game of LPL on the same day.

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Wanindu Hasaranga retires from Test cricket

Sri Lanka’s spin sensation Wanindu Hasaranga has announced to bid farewell to Test cricket in a bid to prolong his limited-over format career.

Hasaranga, who made his Test debut in 2020 against South Africa, could represent Sri Lanka in only four matches.

During his brief Test career, the all-rounder accumulated 196 runs at an average of 28 with the help of a half-century while taking four wickets at a dismal average of 100.75.

His last appearance in Test cricket for Sri Lanka was against Bangladesh in 2021.

According to the details, the star all-rounder informed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) regarding his decision and the cricketing body accepted it.

“We will accept his decision and are confident that Hasaranga will be a vital part of our white-ball program going forward,” said Ashley De Silva, CEO of SLC.

Notably, Wanindu Hasaranga has emerged as Sri Lanka’s white-ball specialist since making his ODI debut in 2017 and is a regular member of their limited-overs set-up.

He has thus far featured in 48 ODIs and 58 T20Is, taking 158 wickets across the limited-over formats and scoring 1365 runs.

Hasaranga played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s perfect Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWC) campaign in Zimbabwe.

He spearheaded Sri Lanka’s bowling attack and ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps to his name.

Wanindu Hasaranga is currently leading Lanka Premier League (LPL) franchise B-Love Kandy in the ongoing edition of the extravaganza.

His side B-Love Kandy placed second in the LPL standings with eight points in as many matches and thus, have already qualified for the playoffs.

The last group fixture of the ongoing edition of the LPL will be played between Colombo Strikers and Galle Titans which will decide the fate of the playoffs daws.

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Dambulla Aura crush B-Love Kandy in top-of-the-table LPL clash

COLOMBO: Dhananjaya de Silva’s bowling masterclass propelled leaders Dambulla Aura to a dominant 20-run victory in the top-of-the-table Lanka Premier League (LPL) clash on Monday.

In an enthralling clash between the top two sides of the ongoing edition of the LPL, Dambulla Aura emerged victorious to solidify their position as the table-toppers.

Put into bat first, Dambulla Aura piled up a massive total of 162/7 on the board, courtesy of a combined effort by Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Ben McDermott.

Aura openers Fernando and Samarawickrama gave their side a flying start to their innings as they raised 61 runs before Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed the latter in the eighth over.

The wicketkeeper batter scored a cautious 26-ball 31, laced up with six boundaries.

Fernando was then joined by Lakshan Edirisinghe and the pair could put on a brief 19-run partnership before both perished in the 10th over.

Avishka Fernando remained the top-scorer for the Aura with 41 from just 27 deliveries, hitting three boundaries and as many sixes.

McDermott took the reigns of Aura’s batting charge after Fernando’s dismissal and knitted brief partnerships with Dhananjaya de Silva (10) and Alex Ross (0) before finally perishing in the 18th over.

He scored 37 in 23 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

Before his dismissal, McDermott was involved in a vital 38-run partnership with Hayden Kerr, who scored a brisk 16-ball 26 which featured three boundaries and a six.

Set to chase 163, B-Love Kandy came up 20 runs as they could gather 142 before being bundled out in the final over despite Dinesh Chandimal’s half-century.

Experienced batter Chandimal waged a lone battle for B-Love Kandy with a 46-ball 50, hitting six boundaries.

However, his efforts were not enough to steer B-Love Kandy over the line.

Besides him, Wanindu Hasaranga (19), Angelo Mathews (26) and Isuru Udana (23) made notable contributions while the rest looked hapless against the Dhananjaya-led Aura bowling attack.

Dhananjaya de Silva returned astonishing figures of 4/6 in his two overs, followed by Pramod Madushan’s two while Sachitha Jayatilake, Hayden Kerr and Shahnawaz Dahani made one scalp each.

READ: Colombo Strikers edge B-Love Kandy to keep LPL playoffs hopes alive