LPL 2021 – Lanka Premier League Schedule, Team, Player List, Venue and Stats
The Lanka Premier League 2021 (LPL 2021) is the 2nd edition of the Twenty20 franchise tournament of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) held in Sri Lanka. The latest season is scheduled to take place from 5th to 23rd of December, 2021. The plan is to increase the number of teams from five to six, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that, according to the first tournament, five teams will participate the series.
Here are a few details of the LPL 2021.
- Charit Senanayake was appointed Chairman of the LPL 2021 Technical Committee for the Lanka Premier League 2021 in June 2021.
- SLC agreed to terminate the Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking teams due to financial problems later in the same month.
- SLC also confirmed that two new franchise teams would replace them. The following month, SLC also ended the Jaffna Stallions franchise.
- The tournament was originally scheduled to take place between 30th July and 22nd August 2021. On 9th July 2021, the tournament was postponed from 19th November to 12th December 2021 due to a shortage of foreign players.
- In September 2021, Dambulla Vikings changed its name to Dambulla Giants following a change of ownership.
- Later that month, Jaffna Stallions also changed their name to Jaffna Kings. In October 2021, the Kandy Tuskers were renamed asthe Kandy Warriors after being announced under the new owners.
Venue Selected for LPL 2021
R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota are the supposed venues for the LPL 2021 series.
- R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium (RPS) was known as Khettarama Cricket Stadium before June of 1994 and is now, one of the main venues for the Sri Lankan cricket team with more than 100 single-day international matches hosted by the same.
- The pride of Sri Lanka, the Premadasa Cricket Stadium is the biggest stadium in Sri Lanka with a capacity of 35,000 spectators.
- The R. Premadasa cricket stadium hosted the ICC World Twenty20 Final between Sri Lanka and West Indies, the 2002 ICC Champions Cup Final between Sri Lanka and India, and the first semifinal of the 2011 ICC Cricket Cup between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
- Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, better known as Sooriyawewa International Cricket Stadium and abbreviated as MRIC Stadium, is an international cricket stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
- It was built for the 2011 World Cricket Championship and hosted two matches on the 20th of February 2011, the first being Sri Lanka versus Canada. The stadium also has a capacity of 35,000.
Teams in LPL 2021
The Lanka Premier League 2021 will take place from 5th to 23rd December. The Lanka Premier League 2021(LPL 2021) franchises have confirmed their team composition in the player draft. Each of the five franchises, which include Colombo Stars, Dambulla Giants, Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Kings, and Kandy Warriors, have filled their teams with many explosive and international cricket stars.
Many superstars such as Chris Gale, Shoaib Malik, Faf du Plessis were among the best national players in the Lanka Premier League 2021 (LPL 2021) draft.
Players from Sri Lanka like Wanindu Hasaranga, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Dushamantha Chameera, Dasun Shanka, Mahesh Theekshana were selected from the team. However, some famous names such as Angelo Matthews, Kusal Perera, Aquila Dananjaya, Dinesh Chandimal, and Danandjaya de Silva, have been omitted in the draft of LPL 2021.
| Colombo Stars in LPL 2021 | Dambula Giants in LPL 2021 | Gladiator Gale in LPL 2021 | Jaffna Kings in LPL 2021 | Kandy Warriors in LPL 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Mathews | Dasun Shanaka | Bhanuka Rajapaksa | Thisara Perera | Angelo Perera |
| Tom Banton | Marchant de Lange | Anwar Ali | Krishan Sanjula | Ahmed Shehzad |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Niroshan Dickwella | Ashian Daniel | Sammu Ashan | Al-Amin Hossain |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Chamikara Edirisinghe | Ben Dunk | Ashen Bandara | Charith Asalanka |
| Akila Dananjaya | Nuwanidu Fernando | Danushka Gunathilaka | Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva | Minod Bhanuka |
| Jehan Daniel | Lahiru Udara | Angelo Jayasinghe | Chaturanga de Silva | Sachindu Colombage |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | Imran Tahir | Kevin Koththigoda | Theivendiram Dinoshan | Shashika Dulshan |
| Thikshila de Silva | Sachitha Jayathilake | Dhananjaya Lakshan | Aviska Fernando | Binura Fernando |
| Ravindu Fernando | Chamika Karunaratne | Suminda Lakshan | Chamika Gunasekara | Asela Gunaratne |
| Shiran Fernando | Muditha Lakshan | Pramod Madushan | Praveen Jayawickrama | Ishan Jayaratne |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | Josh Little | Lahiru Madushanka | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Lahiru Kumara |
| Pathum Nissanka | Janith Liyanage | Kusal Mendis | Suranga Lakmal | Kennar Lewis |
| Keemo Paul | Ramesh Mendis | Mohammed Shamaaz | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Kamindu Mendis |
| Kusal Perera | Dilshan Munaweera | Mohammad Amir | Ashan Randika | Kamil Mishara |
| Seekkuge Prasanna | Najibullah Zadran | Mohammad Hafeez | Jayden Seales | Rovman Powell |
| Ashan Priyanjan | Kalana Perera | Noor Ahmad | Shoaib Malik | Tillakaratne Sampath |
| Himesh Ramanayake | Nuwan Pradeep | Samit Patel | Rathnaraja Thanuradan | Kalhara Senarathne |
| Ravi Rampaul | Tharindu Ratnayake | Sadeera Samarawickrama | Upul Tharanga | Shiraz Ahmed |
| Sherfane Rutherford | Madushan Ravichandrakumar | Pulina Tharanga | Maheesh Theekshana | Milinda Siriwardana |
| Lakshan Sandakan | Phil Salt | Nuwan Thushara | Usman Shinwari | Ayana Siriwardhana |
| Jeffrey Vandersay | Sacha De Alwis | Isuru Udana | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | Devon Thomas |
| David Wiese | Sohaib Maqsood | Wahab Riaz | Nimesh Vimukthi |
A collection of 600 cricketers, including 300 players from overseas and 300 players from Sri Lanka, took part in the "Player Draft,” which was held virtually with the participation of five franchise owners and SLC employees. The draft consists of 20 rounds covering different categories of players such as "local and foreign icon players,” "local and foreign diamond players,” "local and foreign gold players," and "local and foreign classic players.” Also present are Local Emerging and Supplementary Local Circles, which focus on selecting young Sri Lankan talent through LPL 2021.
Schedule of LPL 2021
The Lanka Premier League 2021 (LPL 2021) kicks off on 5th December at RPICS, Colombo, with the first match to be held between Gale and Jaffna.
| Schedule of Matches in LPL 2021 | Matches in LPL 2021 |
|---|---|
| Dec 5th, Sunday | Galle Gladiators vs. Jaffna Kings R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 6th, Monday | Dambulla Giants vs. Kandy Warriors 2nd Match at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Colombo Stars vs. Galle Gladiators R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 7th, Tuesday | Jaffna Kings vs. Dambulla Giants R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Kandy Warriors vs. Galle Gladiators 5th Match at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 8th, Wednesday | Colombo Stars vs. Dambulla Giants R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Kandy Warriors vs. Jaffna Kings R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 10th, Friday | Dambulla Giants vs. Galle Gladiators R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Jaffna Kings vs. Colombo Stars R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 11th, Saturday | Galle Gladiators vs. Kandy Warriors R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Colombo Stars vs. Dambulla Giants R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 12th, Sunday | Jaffna Kings vs. Kandy Warriors R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Galle Gladiators vs. Colombo Stars R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 13th, Monday | Galle Gladiators vs. Dambulla Giants R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 14th, Tuesday | Kandy Warriors vs. Colombo Stars R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Dambulla Giants vs. Jaffna Kings R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 16th, Thursday | Colombo Stars vs. Jaffna Kings R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Kandy Warriors vs. Dambulla Giants R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 17th, Friday | Jaffna Kings vs. Galle Gladiators R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT Colombo Stars vs. Kandy Warriors R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 20th, Monday | TBC vs TBC Eliminator of LPL 2021 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota 15:00 IST / 09:30 GMT TBC vs TBC Qualifier 1 of LPL 2021 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 21st, Tuesday | TBC vs TBC Qualifier 2 of LPL 2021 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
| Dec 23rd, Thursday | TBC vs TBC Final of LPL 2021 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota 19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT |
A Look at the LPL 2020 Stats
- During the group stage of the 2020 Lanka Premier League, each team played eight matches in the schedule, two against each of the other teams participating in the competition. The first four teams reached the playoffs.
- Galle Gladiators finished the league in fourth place with 4 points, won two games, and lost six. Jaffna Stallions finished the league in third place with 9 points, won four, and lost three.
- The Galle Gladiators reached the final after beating the Colombo Kings by two wickets in the first semi-final. Jaffna Stallions reached the final after beating Dambulla Viiking by 37 runs in the second semi-final.
- The 2020 Lanka Premier League Final was a Twenty20 cricket match played between Galle Gladiators and Jaffna Stallions on 16th December,2020 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, Sri Lanka.
- Galle Gladiators won by 53 runs to become Masters of the Introductory LPL. Shoaib Malik was named Player of the Match for all his efforts - 46 on the bat and 2/13 with the ball in his 3 overs.
Top Run-scorer Stats
- Danushka Gunathilaka (Galle Gladiators) – 476 runs @59.5 | SR of 145 with 4 fifties
- Most impactful performances: 94* vs. Tuskers in a must-win game; 82 vs. Tuskers, 78 vs. Viking
Top Wicket-taker Stats
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Jaffna Stallions)- 17 wickets.
- Hasaranga was the leading wicket player in the 2020 LPL with 17 wickets and was vital in helping Jaffna win the title. In addition to collecting the most wickets, Hasaranga was the most economical bowler in the competition.
- Jaffna also took home the Player of the Series trophy and Wanindu Hasaranga was rewarded for his excellence in bowling as he finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps to his name.
- Lakshan of Gale was also announced as the Emerging player of the tournament.
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