Lanka Premier League

Sri Lankan professional twenty20 cricket league

Cricket tournament

Lanka Premier League

Logo of Lanka Premier League

Countries| Sri Lanka
Administrator| Sri Lanka Cricket
Format| Twenty20
First edition| 2020
Latest edition| 2024
Next edition| 2025
Tournament format| Double Round-robin and playoffs
Number of teams| 5
Current champion| Jaffna franchise (4th title)
Most successful| Jaffna franchise (4 titles)
Most runs| Avishka Fernando (1,544)[1]
Most wickets| Wanindu Hasaranga (72)[2]
Website| lankapremierleaguet20.com
Tournaments

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

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.

As of 2024, there have been five seasons of the tournament.[6] The current title holder team is Jaffna Kings, who won their fourth title in the 2024 Lanka Premier League by defeating Galle Marvels in the final.[7]

## History

[edit]

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

[edit]

Strikers

Falcons

Kings

Marvels

Sixers

class=notpageimage|

Locations of Lanka Premier League teams

### Current teams

[edit]

Team  | City  | Debut  | Captain  | Head Coach  | Owner

|
|
|
|
|

Colombo Strikers | Colombo, Western Province | 2023  | Thisara Perera | Carl Crowe | SKKY Group
Dambulla Sixers | Dambulla, Central Province | 2024  | Mohammad Nabi | Rangana Herath | Sequoia Consultants
Galle Marvels | Galle, Southern Province | 2024  | Niroshan Dickwella | Graham Ford | Cricket Marvels LLC
Jaffna Kings | Jaffna, Northern Province | 2021  | Charith Asalanka | Avishka Gunawardene | Lyca Mobile
Kandy Falcons | Kandy, Central Province | 2022  | Wanindu Hasaranga | Piyal Wijetunge | —[a]

### Franchise history

[edit]

Franchise
(Owner)  | City  | 2020  | 2021  | 2022  | 2023  | 2024

|
|
|
|
|
|

Colombo  | Colombo, Western Province | Colombo Kings
(Murfad Mustafa) | Colombo Stars
(Softlogic Holdings) | Colombo Strikers
(SKKY Group)
Dambulla  | Dambulla, Central Province | Dambulla Viiking
(Sachiin Joshi) | Dambulla Giants
(Qamar Khan) | Dambulla Aura
(Viranjith Thambugala) | Dambulla Sixers
(Sequoia Consultants)
Galle  | Galle, Southern Province | Galle Gladiators
(Nadeem Omar) | Galle Titans
(Nayana Wasalathilake) | Galle Marvels
(Cricket Marvels LLC)
Jaffna  | Jaffna, Northern Province | Jaffna Stallions
(Anandan Arnold; Rahul Sood) | Jaffna Kings
(Lyca Mobile)
Kandy  | Kandy, Central Province | Kandy Tuskers
(Sohail Khan; Abbas Muni) | Kandy Warriors
(Ravi Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi) | Kandy Falcons
(Parvez Khan) | B-Love Kandy
(B-Love Network) | Kandy Falcons
[a]

## Organisation

[edit]

### Player acquisition, squad composition and salaries

[edit]

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.[20] 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.[21]

### Governing Council

[edit]

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 Cricket 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.[22]

### Finances

[edit]

The inaugural edition of the league reached a cumulative audience of 557 million through TV, digital-social media and traditional media.[23] According to the 2021 Annual Report of Sri Lanka Cricket, The league generated revenue of LKR334 million in 2020, LKR463 million in 2021, LKR839 million in 2022.[24][25]

Franchise | Valuation

|

Jaffna Stallions | US$3.98 million
Galle Gladiators | US$3.82 million
Dambulla Viiking | US$3.54 million
Colombo Kings | US$3.44 million
Kandy Tuskers | US$3.19 million

Source: Newswire.lk, June 2021

Revenue analysis  Season | Revenue (LKR mil) | YoY revenue growth | No. of matches | Revenue per match (LKR mil) | YoY revenue per match growth (LKR) | Revenue per match (€ thousands) | YoY revenue per match growth (€)

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2020 | 334 | — | 23 | 14.522 | — | 66.788[b] | —
2021 | 463 | 38.62%  | 24 | 19.292 | 32.85% | 85.766[c] | 28.42%
2022 | 839 | 81.21% | 34.958 | 81.20% | 90.953[d] | 6.05%
2023 | 831[26] | (0.95%) | 34.625 | (0.95%) | 102.940[e] | 13.18%

## Criticism

[edit]

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 2023 Lanka Premier League sponsors 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.[27]

## Tournament seasons and results

[edit]

Out of the five franchises that have played in the league, the Jaffna franchise has won three titles, while the Kandy franchise has won only one title. Jaffna Stallions won the inaugural season, defeating Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final.[28][29][30] The following season, Jaffna Kings beat Galle by 23 runs[31] and in 2022 defeated Colombo Stars by 2 wickets to win their third consecutive title.[32]

### Finals

[edit]

Season  | Final  | Player of the season

|
|

Winners  | Result  | Runners-up | Venue
2020 | Jaffna Stallions
188/6 (20 overs) | Jaffna Stallions won by 53 runs
Scorecard | Galle Gladiators
135/9 (20 overs) | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium,
Hambantota | Wanindu Hasaranga
(Jaffna Stallions)
2021 | Jaffna Kings
201/3 (20 overs) | Jaffna Kings won by 23 runs
Scorecard | Galle Gladiators
178/9 (20 overs) | Avishka Fernando
(Jaffna Kings)
2022 | Jaffna Kings
164/8 (19.2 overs) | Jaffna Kings won by 2 wickets
Scorecard | Colombo Stars
163/5 (20 overs) | R. Premadasa Stadium,
Colombo | Sadeera Samarawickrama
(Jaffna Kings)
2023 | 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)
2024 | Jaffna Kings
185/1 (15.4 overs) | Jaffna Kings won by 9 wickets
Scorecard | Galle Marvels
184/6 (20 overs) | Rilee Rossouw
(Jaffna Kings)

### Team playing records

[edit]

As of 17 July 2024
Teams  |  Mat  | Won  | Lost  |  Tie & W  |  Tie & L  |  NR  | Win%

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Colombo franchise | 45  | 21  | 23  | 1  | 0  | 0  | 47.78
Dambulla franchise | 45  | 21  | 20  | 0  | 2  | 2  | 51.16
Galle franchise | 47  | 17  | 27  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 39.13
Jaffna franchise | 48  | 30  | 17  | 0  | 0  | 1  | 63.82
Kandy franchise | 45  | 21  | 23  | 0  | 1  | 0  | 47.78

Source: CricInfo[33]

Notes:

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

## Team's performance

[edit]

Season

Franchise

| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024

|
|
|
|
|

Colombo franchise | 3rd  | 4th  | RU  | 5th  | 4th
Dambulla franchise | 4th  | 3rd  | 5th  | RU  | 5th
Galle franchise | RU  | RU  | 4th  | 3rd  | RU
Jaffna franchise | C | C | C | 4th  | C
Kandy franchise | 5th  | 5th  | 3rd  | C | 3rd

## Records

[edit]

As of 4 October 2024
Batting Records

Most runs  | Avishka Fernando (Jaffna, Dambulla)  | 1,544
Highest score  | Pathum Nissanka (Jaffna)  | 119 vs Kandy Falcons (9 July 2024)
Highest partnership  | Kusal Mendis & Rilee Rossouw (Jaffna)  | 185* vs Galle Marvels (21 July 2024)
Most fifties  | Avishka Fernando (Jaffna, Dambulla)  | 15
Most sixes  | Avishka Fernando (Jaffna, Dambulla)  | 78
Bowling Records
Most wickets  | Wanindu Hasaranga (Jaffna, Kandy)  | 72
Best bowling figures  | Wanindu Hasaranga (Kandy)  | 6/9 vs Jaffna Kings (17 August 2023)
Fielding Records
Most dismissals (wicket-keeper)  | Niroshan Dickwella (Dambulla, Colombo, Galle)  | 30
Most catches (fielder)  | Wanindu Hasaranga (Jaffna, Kandy)  | 34
Team records
Highest total  | Jaffna Kings | 240/4 (20) vs Dambulla Aura (11 December 2022)
Lowest total  | Dambulla Giants | 69 (14.1) vs Jaffna Kings (13 December 2021)

* Source: records extracted from ESPNcricinfo[34]

## Broadcasters

[edit]

Country  | TV Channel  | Online Streaming

|
|

Sri Lanka  | Monara TV [f]
Star Sports [g]
ThePapare TV  | Dialog ViU App
PEO Mobile App
ThePapare.com
Australia  | Fox Sports[h] | —
Bangladesh  | T Sports[i] | —
India  | Star Sports[g] | FanCode[g]
New Zealand  | Sky Sport NZ | —
Pakistan  | A Sports[h] | Tapmad [g]
South Africa  | —  | SytxSports.com
Rest of the world  | —  | Monara TV YouTube
SLC YouTube

## See also

[edit]

* Cricket portal
* Sri Lanka portal

* List of Lanka Premier League centuries
* List of Lanka Premier League five-wicket hauls

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Most runs, Records in Lanka Premier League, CricInfo. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
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. ^ a b "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 'unloves' Kandy franchise again". The Sunday Times. 23 June 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
20. ^ LPL Player Draft 2022 | Players List
21. ^ LPL Season 4 to have IPL-style auction for the five squads
22. ^ Tagore, Vijay (2 August 2020). "Indian-owned Dubai firm bags Lanka Premier League rights". Bangalore Mirror. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
23. ^ "LPL team valuation chart released: Jaffna tops with $3.98m". newswire.lk. Wire Digital Pvt Ltd. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
24. ^ "Annual Report 2021" (PDF). srilankacricket.lk. Sri Lanka Cricket. 2023. p. 129. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
25. ^ "Annual Report 2022" (PDF). Sri Lanka Cricket. 2023. p. 167. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
26. ^ Fernando, Champika (1 September 2024). "SLC endure mixed fortunes in finances during 2023". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
27. ^ "Concerns over LPL 4 franchise ownerships". The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
28. ^ "Jaffna claimed the madain title of LPL". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
29. ^ "Jaffna Stallions win inaugural Lanka Premier League with thumping final win over Galle Gladiators". SkySports. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
30. ^ "LPL 2020 Finals : Jaffna Stallions wins Lanka Premier League title, beat Galle Gladiators in LPL Finals". InsideSport. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
31. ^ "Avishka, Kohler-Cadmore fire Jaffna Kings to second successive LPL title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
32. ^ "Avishka, Samarawickrama lead Jaffna Kings to third straight LPL title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
33. ^ "Lanka Premier League Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
34. ^ "Lanka Premier League Records". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 4 October 2024.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ a b Sri Lanka Cricket severed ties with B-Love Network.[19] Management of the team passed on to the tournament organisers, the IPG Group.
2. ^ exchange rate of 1 EUR = 217.4295 LKR used here for 2020 season.
3. ^ exchange rate of 1 EUR = 224.9337 LKR used here for 2021 season.
4. ^ exchange rate of 1 EUR = 384.3541 LKR used here for 2022 season.
5. ^ exchange rate of 1 EUR = 336.3600 LKR used here for 2023 season.
6. ^ 2024–present
7. ^ a b c d 2023–present
8. ^ a b 2021; 2023–present
9. ^ 2021; 2024–present

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lanka Premier League.

* Official Website of LPL

* v
* t
* e

Lanka Premier League

Seasons|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Finals|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

Teams|

* Colombo Strikers
* Dambulla Sixers
* Galle Marvels
* Jaffna Kings
* Kandy Falcons

Venues|

* MRICS Hambantota
* RDIS Dambulla
* PICS Kandy
* RPS Colombo

Lists|

* Centuries
* Five-wicket hauls

* Category
* Commons
* WikiProject

* v
* t
* e

Cricket in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Cricket

National teams|

* Men
* Women
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Teams|

| Club|

* Ace Capital
* Badureliya
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* Colombo
* Colts
* Galle
* Kalutara
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* Lankan
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* Panadura
* Ragama
* Saracens
* Sebastianites
* Sinhalese
* Sri Lanka Air Force
* Sri Lanka Army
* Sri Lanka Navy
* Sri Lanka Police
* Tamil Union

|

Franchise|

* Colombo Strikers
* Dambulla Sixers
* Galle Marvels
* Jaffna Kings
* Kandy Falcons

Tournaments|

| First-class|

* National Super League 4-Day Tournament
* Major League Tournament
* Inter-Provincial First Class Tournament (defunct)

|

Limited overs|

* National Super League Limited Over Tournament
* Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament
* Sri Lanka Women's Division One Tournament
* Inter-Provincial Limited Over Tournament (defunct)
* Premier Limited Overs Tournament (defunct)

Twenty20|

| Club|

* Major Clubs T20 Tournament
* SLC Twenty20 Tournament (defunct)
* SLC Super Provincial Twenty20 (defunct)

|

Franchise|

* Lanka Premier League
* Sri Lanka Premier League (defunct)

T10|

* Lanka T10

International venues|

* Asgiriya Stadium
* Colombo Oval
* Sinhalese
* Premadasa
* Galle
* Dambulla
* MRIC, Hambantota
* Pallekele

Grounds|

* Bloomfield
* Burgher RCG
* Colombo CCG
* Police Park Ground, Colombo
* Colts Ground
* Air Force Ground, Katunayake
* Chilaw Marians Cricket Club Ground
* Welagedara, Kurunagela
* Uyanwatte, Matara
* Moors SC Ground
* De Soysa, Moratuwa
* Nondescripts Ground
* Panadura Esplanade
* Surrey Village
* Horana
* Navy Ground, Welisara
* Mallakam
* Polonnaruwa National Cricket Ground
* Ratnapura District Cricket Ground

Lists|

* Teams
* Cricketers
* club
* international
* provincial

Other articles|

* History
* School cricket

* v
* t
* e

Twenty20 cricket competitions

Current|

| Multi-national|

* Global Super League (since 2024)
* European T20 Premier League (since 2025)

|

Franchise|

Men's
T20 Blast (since 2003)
Super Smash (since 2006)
Indian Premier League (since 2008)
Big Bash League (since 2011)
Bangladesh Premier League (since 2012)
Caribbean Premier League (since 2013)
Pakistan Super League (since 2016)
Global T20 Canada (since 2018)
Lanka Premier League (since 2020)
Minor League Cricket (since 2021)
Top End T20 Series (since 2022)
SA20 (since 2023)
International League T20 (since 2023)
Major League Cricket (since 2023)
Nepal Premier League (since 2024)

Women's
Super Smash (since 2007)
Women's Big Bash League (since 2015)
Women's Caribbean Premier League (since 2022)
Women's Premier League (since 2023)
T20 Spring Challenge (since 2024)
Women's T20 Blast (since 2025)

National|

Africa
CSA T20 Challenge (since 2004)
Zimbabwe Domestic Twenty20 Competition (since 2007)
CSA Provincial T20 Cup (since 2019)

Americas
Women's Twenty20 Blaze (since 2012)
West Indies Breakout League (since 2025)

Asia
National T20 Cup (since 2005)
Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (since 2006)
Senior Women's T20 Trophy (since 2008)
Prime Minister Cup (since 2015)
Shpageeza Cricket League (since 2016)
National T20 Championship (since 2023)
National T20 Cup (since 2024)

Europe
Dutch Twenty20 Cup (since 2007)
Women's Twenty20 Cup (since 2009)
Inter-Provincial Trophy (since 2013)
Women's Super Series (since 2015)
Women's T20 County Cup (since 2025)

Domestic|

India
Tamil Nadu Premier League (since 2016)
Andhra Premier League (since 2022)
Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 (since 2022)
Rajasthan Premier League (since 2023)
Bengal Pro T20 League (since 2024)
Delhi Premier League T20 (since 2024)

Defunct|

| Multi-national|

* International 20:20 Club Championship (2005)
* Stanford Super Series (2008)
* Champions League Twenty20 (2009–14)
* North Sea Pro Series (2014–15)
* Africa T20 Cup (2015–18)
* Cricket All-Stars (2015)

|

National|

Africa
Mzansi Super League (2018–19)

Americas
Stanford 20/20 (2006–08)
Caribbean Twenty20 (2010–13)

Asia
SLC Twenty20 Tournament (2004–21)
SLC Super Provincial Twenty20 (2008–11)
Senior Women's T20 Challenger Trophy (2010–22)
Super 8 Twenty20 Cup (2011–15)
Sri Lanka Premier League (2011–12)
Hong Kong T20 Blitz (2016–18)
Afghanistan Premier League (2018)
Nepal T20 League (2022)

East Asia-Pacific
KFC Twenty20 Big Bash (2005–11)
Australian Women's Twenty20 Cup (2009–15)

Europe
Murgitroyd Twenty20 (2008–19)
Women's Cricket Super League (2016–19)
Regional Pro Series (2016)
Charlotte Edwards Cup (2021–24)

Domestic|

Bangladesh
Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League (2018–21)

India
Karnataka Premier League (2009–19)
Kashmir Premier League (2011–21)
KCA President's Cup T20 (2021)

Pakistan
Kashmir Premier League (2021–22)
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