Tag: LPL 2023

A combined effort from the bowlers, followed by Avishka Fernando’s brisk half-century propelled Dambulla Aura to thump holders Jaffna Kings by eight wickets in the fourth match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Set to chase a modest 130, Dambulla Aura comfortably accumulated 132/2 in response with 22 balls to spare.

Aura’s opener Avishka Fernando spearheaded the run chase with a quick half-century.

Aura openers Fernando and Kusal Mendis scripted a solid start to pursuit as they added 76 runs in just eight overs.

The vital opening partnership was dominated majorly by Fernando, who perished briefly after amassing his half-century.

He remained the top-scorer for the Aura with a 32-ball 52 which featured six boundaries and three sixes.

The Aura endured another blow in the next over when Kusal Mendis miscued one off Dunith Wellalage and the ball went straight to Thisara Perera at deep midwicket. He scored an anchoring 29 from 23 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Following back-to-back dismissals, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Perera knitted an unbeaten 47-run partnership and steered Aura to their first victory in the ongoing edition of the LPL.

Perera smashed three boundaries and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 22-ball 34 while Samarawickrama scored 12 not out.

For the Kings, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Wellalage could pick up a wicket.

Opting to bat first, the defending LPL champions Jaffna Kings’ batting lineup faltered and could only pile 129/7 in the allotted 20 overs despite Charith Asalanka’s half-century.

Asalanka top-scored for the Kings with a cautious knock. His 52-ball 56 featured five boundaries.

Towhid Hridoy (24) was the other notable run-getter for the Kings while the rest of their batters failed to contribute significantly.

Binura Fernando led the bowling attack for the Aura with 2/27, followed by Shahnawaz Dahani, Hayden Kerr, Dhananjaya de Silva and Noor Ahmad picking one wicket apiece.

The convincing eight-wicket victory lifted Dambulla Aura to the top of the LPL standings while Jaffna Kings slipped to the fourth.

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COLOMBO: Babar Azam’s half-century followed by Naseem Shah’s 2/19 led Colombo Strikers to a comfortable 27-run victory over B-Love Kandy in the third match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

The victory marked the Colombo Strikers’ first in this edition of the LPL as they recovered from a 21-run defeat in the opening match against defending champions Jaffna Kings.

Opting to bat first, the home side accumulated 157/6 in the allotted 20 overs at the back of an anchoring half-century by Babar Azam.

The Strikers got off to a shaky start to their innings as they lost two wickets inside the powerplay with just 33 runs on the board.

Star batter Babar Azam batted sensibly and knitted an anchoring partnership with Nuwanidu Fernando for the third wicket.

The pair added 60 runs to the total but conceded 55 deliveries in the process and Fernando, consequently, made a desperate effort to go big but ended up handing a straightforward catch to Mohammad Hasnain.

READ: Hridoy-led Jaffna Kings thump Colombo Strikers in LPL opener

He remained the notable run-getter for the Strikers with 28 off 31 deliveries, hitting two boundaries and a six.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam stood his ground firm and stitched Dhananjaya Lakshan (12) before finally perishing in the penultimate over.

He top-scored for the Strikers with a 52-ball 59 which included four boundaries and a six.

Isuru Udana led the bowling attack for the B-Love Kandy with 3/39, followed by Mohammad Hasnain’s 2/27.

In response, B-Love Kandy’s batting lineup failed against a disciplined Strikers’ bowling attack and could only raise 130/8.

The visitors after a dismal start, lost wickets at regular intervals which eventually halted the flow of runs.

Angelo Mathews (25 off 22) remained the top-scorer for B-Love Kandy amid their dismal show with the bat, followed by Sarfaraz Ahmed, who could score an unbeaten 16 from 21 deliveries.

Their maiden victory in this year’s LPL lifted Colombo Strikers to claim the second position in the points table while B-Love Kandy sank to the bottom.

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COLOMBO: Galle Titans claimed a dramatic Super Over win in the second match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) against Dambulla Aura on Monday to earn their first victory in the tournament.

The match went to a tie-break decider after both teams chalked up 180 runs in a high-scoring thriller at R Premadasa Stadium here.

Dambulla Aura could make 9/1 off a tight Super Over bowled by pacer Kasun Rajitha before Bhanuka Rajapaksa smashed a four off the first ball of Titans’ response, then sealed victory with a six.

Put into bat first in their LPL campaign opener, the Titans notched up 180/5 in the allotted 20 overs with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka leading the charge.

Rajapaksa scored an anchoring 34-ball 48 which featured five boundaries and two sixes.

Coming out to bat at number six with the Titans at 123/4 in 15 overs, Shanaka played a quickfire knock to bolster his side’s total.

Shanaka scored a swashbuckling 21-ball 42, laced up with two boundaries and four sixes.

Besides the duo of Shanaka and Rajapaksa, opener Shevon Daniel made a notable contribution with a 26-ball 33 up the order.

Shahnawaz Dahani, making his LPL debut, led the bowling attack for the Auras with 2/37, followed by one wicket each for Binura Fernando and Dhananjaya de Silva.

The Aura, in response, also accumulated 180 runs, but for the loss of seven wickets.

The Aura got off to a shaky start, losing two wickets for just two runs in the second over.

Dhananjaya de Silva was then joined by Kusal Perera and the pair stitched a 76-run partnership for the third wicket.

Perera returned back to the hut in the 10th over after scoring 40 off 35 balls, which included four boundaries and two sixes.

The dangerous-looking de Silva got out in the 12th over after scoring 43 off 31 balls, hitting five fours and a six.

The Aura then lost two more wickets in quick succession which halted the flow of runs before Alex Ross glimmered a ray of hope with a scintillating cameo.

The right-handed batter scored a brisk 39 not out off 28 balls with the help of three boundaries and two sixes but fell just one run short of steering his side to glory.

The thrilling Super Over victory lifted Galle Titans to second in the LPL standings while Dambulla Aura remained at fourth.

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COLOMBO: Towhid Hridoy’s half-century, followed by a combined effort from the bowlers led Jaffna Kings to a thumping 21-run victory over Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) curtain-raiser on Sunday.

The defending champions Kings scripted a solid start to their LPL campaign with a resounding victory over last edition’s runners-up.

Put into bat first, the Kings registered a commendable total on the board as Towhid Hridoy’s half-century bolstered them to 173/5 in the allotted 20 overs.

Hridoy top-scored for the Kings with a 39-ball 54 which featured four boundaries and a six.

Besides him, Dunith Wellalage (25*), Priyamal Perera (22) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21) made notable contributions.

Meanwhile, Kings’ skipper Thisara Perera played a crucial came at the death and bolstered his side’s total. He scored 14 from seven balls with the help of three boundaries.

For the Strikers, Naseem Shah, Matheesha Pathirana, Chamika Karunaratne and Lakshan Sandakan struck out a batter each.

Set to chase 174, Babar Azam-led Colombo Strikers’ batting lineup failed and could only raise 152 before bundling out in the final over despite Niroshan Dickwella’s half-century.

The Strikers had a dismal start to the run chase as the home side endured a massive blow in the fourth over with 33 runs on the board as Pakistan captain Babar Azam perished.

Babar could score a mere seven from eight deliveries before falling to Thisara Perera.

Following his dismissal, the Strikers ran into a collapse which halted the flow of runs for the home side.

Strikers’ captain Dickwella stood his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly before Nishan Madushanka finally got rid of him in the 11th over.

He remained the top-scorer for the Strikers with a 34-ball 58, laced up with nine boundaries and a six.

Besides him, Chamika Karunaratne (23 off 15) could make a notable contribution with the bat.

Hardus Viljoen led the bowling attack for the Kings with 3/31, followed by two each from Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Dilshan Madushanka.

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Left-handed opener Imam-ul-Haq joined his national captain Babar Azam and teammates in the Colombo Strikers’ squad for the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Imam-ul-Haq is set to make his first-ever foreign T20 franchise league appearance after Colombo Strikers signed the opener as a replacement for Ireland’s Lorcan Tucker.

Strikers, led by Babar Azam, now feature five Pakistani cricketers in their set of overseas players besides the Pakistan captain.

Imam-ul-Haq will join up with his Pakistan teammates Wahab Riaz, Naseem Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz.

Before his inclusion in the Colombo Strikers’ squad for the upcoming edition of the LPL, Imam-ul-Haq had only featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

The left-handed batter has featured in 22 PSL fixtures and has 542 runs under his belt with the help of five half-centuries.

It is pertinent to mention that the fourth edition of LPL, the T20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to be played between five teams, from July 31 to August 22.

A total of 13 Pakistan cricketers were roped in for the upcoming fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in the player auction which took place last month.

Notably, before the auction took place, some of Pakistan’s notable cricketers had already found new homes in the LPL. Leading the charge is the formidable Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, who will be representing the Colombo Strikers.

Joining Babar in the LPL was the young and fiery fast bowler, Naseem Shah, who had also been acquired by the Colombo franchise.

Another key addition to the LPL is the explosive batsman, Fakhar Zaman, who will be donning the colours of the B-Love Kandy team.

Pakistan Players to participate in LPL 2023

B-Love Kandy: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal

Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz

Jaffna Kings: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan.

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Prominent Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt has expressed his desire to meet Pakistan’s cricket legend Javed Miandad.

In a video message for the former skipper of the national cricket team, Javed Miandad, Bollywood celebrity Sanjay Dutt extended his greetings and expressed his desire to meet him soon in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

In the clip, Sanjay Dutt, who has recently joined the Lankan Premier League as the co-owner of the T20 franchise team, B Love Kandy, shared his fondness for Javed Miandad and the mentor of the team. “It feels so good to see you after this long. See you soon in Kandy,” Dutt addressed Miandad in the video.

Sharing the clip on his Twitter handle, the cricket icon wrote, “Thank you Dear @duttsanjay and @OmarKhanOK2 for all the love, anxiously waiting to join @BLoveKandy in August 2023 in #LPL2023.”

Thank you Dear @duttsanjay and @OmarKhanOK2 for all the love, anxiously waiting to join @BLoveKandy in August 2023 in #LPL2023. pic.twitter.com/we3Y0aPFBY

— Javed Miandad (@Javed__Miandad) July 11, 2023

It is pertinent to mention that the fourth edition of LPL, the T20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka, is scheduled to be played between five teams, from July 31 to August 22.

A total of 13 Pakistan cricketers were roped in for the upcoming fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in the player auction which took place last month.

Notably, before the auction took place, some of Pakistan’s notable cricketers had already found new homes in the LPL. Leading the charge is the formidable Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, who will be representing the Colombo Strikers.

Joining Babar in the LPL was the young and fiery fast bowler, Naseem Shah, who had also been acquired by the Colombo franchise.

Another key addition to the LPL is the explosive batsman, Fakhar Zaman, who will be donning the colours of the B-Love Kandy team.

Pakistan Players to participate in LPL 2023

B-Love Kandy: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal

Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz

Jaffna Kings: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan.

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COLOMBO: A total of 13 Pakistan cricketers were roped in for the upcoming fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) after the player auction took place here on Wednesday.

The fourth edition of the LPL will run from July 31 to August 22 and will feature five teams competing for the silverware.

More than 500 players from different countries registered themselves for the LPL auction, which took place here on Wednesday.

Notably, before the auction took place, some of Pakistan’s notable cricketers had already found new homes in the LPL. Leading the charge is the formidable Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, who will be representing the Colombo Strikers.

Joining Babar in the LPL was the young and fiery fast bowler, Naseem Shah, who had also been acquired by the Colombo franchise.

Another key addition to the LPL is the explosive batsman, Fakhar Zaman, who will be donning the colours of the B-Love Kandy team.

Meanwhile, in the LPL auction that took place yesterday, all five franchises participating in the tournament had a total prize purse of $500,000 at their disposal to acquire talented players from around the world.

Consequently, a total of 13 Pakistan players were bought by the LPL franchises in different categories which include Iftikhar Ahmed, Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik.

Whereas, some other prominent names from Pakistan – Imad Wasim, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Azam Khan, Haider Ali, Sharjeel Khan, Umar Akmal and Faheem Ashraf – went unsold in the LPL auction.

Pakistan Players to participate in LPL 2023

B-Love Kandy: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hasnain, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Aamer Jamal

Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz

Jaffna Kings: Shoaib Malik, Zaman Khan

Complete squads

B-Love Kandy: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fakhar Zaman, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana, Dinesh Chandimal, Mohammad Hasnain, Dushmantha Chameera, Sahan Arachchige, Ashen Bandara, Mohammad Haris, Navod Paranavithana, Asif Ali, Kamindu Mendis, Nuwan Pradeep, Chaturanga de Silva, Lahiru Madushanka, Aameer Jamal, Malsha Tharupathi, Thanuka Dabare, Lasith Abeyrathne, Avishka Tharindu

Jaffna Kings: David Miller, Thisara Perera, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana, Charith Asalanka, Dunith Wellalage, Shoaib Malik, Pathum Kumara, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Theesan Vithushan, Asanka Manoj, Nishan Madushka, Asitha Fernando, Hardus Viljoen, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka, Zaman Khan, Ashan Randika, Ratnarajah Thenurathan, Chris Lynn, Asela Gunarathne

Dambulla Aura: Mathew Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ndidi, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Hayden Kerr, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Binura Fernando, Noor Ahmad, Sachitha Jayathilaka, Janith Liyanage, Dushan Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, Shanawaz Dasani, Lakshan Edirisinghe, Jehan Daniel, Wanuja Sahan, Kavidu Pathirathna, Ravindu Fernando, Alex Ross, Treveen Mathew, Manelker de Silva, Praveen Jayawcikrama

Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana, Naseem Shah, Chamika Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Wahab Riaz, Lakshan Sandakan, Nipun Dananjaya, Movin Subasinghe, Lahiru Udara, Eshan Malinga, Sashika Dulshan, Nuwanidu Fernando, Iftikhar Ahmad, Lorcan Tucker, Jeffrey Vandersay, Angelo Perera, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Kanishka Anjula, Ramesh Mendis, Mohammad Nawaz, Ahan Wickramasinghe, Yashoda Lanka,

Galle Titans: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lahiru Kumara, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera, Ashan Priyanjan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Mithun, Minod Bhanuka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Shevon Daniel, Mohomed Shiraz, Lahiru Samarakoon, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Chad Bowes, Tim Seifert, Sonal Dinusha, Avishka Perera, Anuk Fernando, Vishwa Fernando

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