The 2021 Lanka Premier League also known as Wolf777 News LPL T20,[1] for sponsorship reasons, was the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka.[2] It took place from 5 to 23 December 2021.[3] There were plans to increase the number of teams from five to six, but Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that five teams would take part, as per the first tournament.[4]
| Dates | 5 December – 23 December 2021 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Sri Lanka Cricket |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Double Round-robin and Playoffs |
| Host(s) | Sri Lanka |
| Champions | Jaffna Kings (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Galle Gladiators |
| Participants | 5 |
| Matches | 24 |
| Player of the series | Avishka Fernando (Jaffna Kings) |
| Most runs | Kusal Mendis (Galle Gladiators) (327) |
| Most wickets | Samit Patel (Galle Gladiators) (16) Maheesh Theekshana (Jaffna Kings) (16) |
| Official website | lplt20sl |
In June 2021, Charith Senanayake was appointed as the chairman of the LPL Technical Committee for the 2021 Lanka Premier League.[5][6] In the same month, SLC agreed the termination of the Colombo Kings and the Dambulla Viiking teams due to financial issues.[7] SLC also confirmed that two new franchise teams would replace them.[8] The following month, SLC also terminated the franchise of the Jaffna Stallions.[9] Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be held between 30 July and 22 August 2021.[10][11] On 9 July 2021, the tournament was rescheduled to be held from 19 November to 12 December 2021,[12] due to unavailability of overseas players.[13] In September 2021, Dambulla Viiking changed their name to Dambulla Giants after changing owners.[14] Jaffna Stallions also changed their name to Jaffna Kings later that month.[15] In October 2021, Kandy Tuskers changed their name to Kandy Warriors after announced as having new owners.[16] In November 2021, Colombo Kings changed their name to Colombo Stars after being acquired by a new owner.[17]
On 23 December 2021, Jaffna Kings beat Galle Gladiators by 23 runs in the final, to win their second successive LPL title.[18]
Squads
editThe player draft was held on 9 November 2021.[19][20] On 29 November 2021, all the captains and coaches were confirmed.[21]
Venues
editR. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota were selected as the venues.[3]
| Colombo | Hambantota | |
|---|---|---|
| R. Premadasa Stadium | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium | |
|
||
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 34,300 | |
| Matches: 20 | Matches: 4 | |
  Hambantota Colombo | ||
Teams and standings
editPoints table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaffna Kings (C) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 2.210 |
| 2 | Galle Gladiators (R) | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0.143 |
| 3 | Colombo Stars (4th) | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | −0.571 |
| 4 | Dambulla Giants (3rd) | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7 | −1.003 |
| 5 | Kandy Warriors | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | −0.668 |
Source: ESPN Cricinfo
- The top four teams qualified for the playoffs
- Advanced to Qualifier 1
- Advanced to Eliminator
Match summary
edit| Team | Group matches | Playoffs | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Q1/E | Q2 | F | |
| Colombo Stars | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | L | ||
| Dambulla Giants | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | W | L | |
| Galle Gladiators | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | W | L | |
| Jaffna Kings | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | L | W | W |
| Kandy Warriors | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
| Win | Loss | No result |
- Note: The total points at the end of each group match are listed.
- Note: Click on the points (group matches) or W/L (playoffs) to see the match summary.
League stage
editThe full schedule was published on 13 October 2021.[22]
Galle Gladiators
164/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
110 (18.4 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Dambulla Giants
190/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kandy Warriors
170/8 (20 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Gladiators
116/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
117/6 (17.3 overs) |
- Galle Gladiators won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Giants
110 (19.3 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
114/2 (12.3 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandy Warriors
143/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Gladiators
147/6 (19.2 overs) |
- Kandy Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Giants
195/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
177 (18.5 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
Jaffna Kings
181/6 (14 overs) |
v
|
Kandy Warriors
166/5 (14 overs) |
- Kandy Warriors won the toss and elected to field.
- Rain stopped play during Jaffna Kings innings. Kandy Warriors were set a revised target of 181 runs from 14 overs.
- Shiraz Ahmed (Kandy Warriors) made his T20 debut.
Dambulla Giants
159/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Gladiators
18/0 (1.2 overs) |
Kusal Mendis 15* (5)
|
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
- No further play was possible due to rain.
Jaffna Kings
207/6 (18 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
114 (15.5 overs) |
- Colombo Stars won the toss and elected to field.
- The match was reduced to 18 overs per side due to rain.
Galle Gladiators
127/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kandy Warriors
131/5 (18.4 overs) |
- Galle Gladiators won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Giants
138/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
137/8 (20 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
Kandy Warriors
94/2 (12.2 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
95/3 (8.4 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
- Rain stopped play during Kandy Warriors innings. Jaffna Kings were set a revised target of 95 runs from 10 overs.
Colombo Stars
162/7 (18 overs) |
v
|
Galle Gladiators
121 (16.5 overs) |
- Colombo Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
- The match was reduced to 18 overs per side due to rain.
Dambulla Giants
69 (14.1 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
71/3 (9.2 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Kandy Warriors
146/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
150/5 (19.4 overs) |
- Colombo Stars won the toss and elected to field.
Galle Gladiators
134/7 (14 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Giants
125/5 (14 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to field.
- The match was reduced to 14 overs per side due to rain.
Jaffna Kings
193/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Stars
91 (15.5 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Giants
130/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kandy Warriors
135/4 (19.2 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Gladiators
129/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
109 (18.3 overs) |
- Galle Gladiators won the toss and elected to bat.
Colombo Stars
182/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Kandy Warriors
124 (17 overs) |
- Kandy Warriors won the toss and elected to field.
Playoffs
edit| Semifinals | Preliminary final | Final | |||||||||||
| 19 December 2021 — Hambantota | 23 December 2021 — Hambantota | ||||||||||||
| Jaffna Kings | 124 (16.5 overs) | 2 | Galle Gladiators | 178/9 (20 overs) | |||||||||
| Galle Gladiators | 188/5 (20 overs) | 21 December 2021 — Hambantota | 1 | Jaffna Kings | 201/3 (20 overs) | ||||||||
| 1 | Jaffna Kings | 210/4 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 19 December 2021 — Hambantota | 4 | Dambulla Giants | 187/9 (20 overs) | ||||||||||
| Colombo Stars | 145/6 (20 overs) | ||||||||||||
| Dambulla Giants | 146/4 (18.5 overs) | ||||||||||||
Eliminator
editColombo Stars
145/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Giants
146/4 (18.5 overs) |
- Colombo Stars won the toss and elected to bat.
Qualifier 1
editGalle Gladiators
188/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
124 (16.5 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
Qualifier 2
editJaffna Kings
210/4 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Giants
187/9 (20 overs) |
- Dambulla Giants won the toss and elected to field.
- Avishka Fernando (Jaffna Kings) scored his first century in Twenty20 cricket.[23]
Final
editJaffna Kings
201/3 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Gladiators
178/9 (20 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
Statistics
editMost runs
edit| Player | Team | Matches | Runs | High score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kusal Mendis | Galle Gladiators | 10 | 327 | 85 |
| Avishka Fernando | Jaffna Kings | 10 | 312 | 100 |
| Phil Salt | Dambulla Giants | 10 | 301 | 64 |
| Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Jaffna Kings | 11 | 296 | 92 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | Colombo Stars | 9 | 277 | 65* |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[24]
Most wickets
edit| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samit Patel | Galle Gladiators | 10 | 16 | 3/13 |
| Maheesh Theekshana | Jaffna Kings | 10 | 16 | 4/25 |
| Jayden Seales | Jaffna Kings | 7 | 15 | 4/13 |
| Imran Tahir | Dambulla Giants | 10 | 15 | 3/20 |
| Seekkuge Prasanna | Colombo Stars | 8 | 13 | 3/31 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[25]
References
edit- ^ "LPL 2021: Wolf777 News joins Lanka Premier League as title sponsor". InsideSport. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "LPL 2021 to feature a franchise from the East". The Papare. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Lanka Premier League to start on December 5". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "SLC to stick with only 5 teams for 2nd edition of LPL". The Papare. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- ^ Sanjeewa, Kanishka (2 July 2021). "Charith Senanayake appointed chairman of LPL Technical Committee". ThePapare.com. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ Ratnaweera, Dhammika. "Senanayake to head LPL Technical Committee". Daily News. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ^ "SLC approves termination of Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking". CricBuzz. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Colombo Kings, Dambulla Viiking terminate contracts, withdraw from LPL 2021". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "LPL terminates one more franchise". CricBuzz. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "LPL 2nd Edition to be held in 30th July to 22nd August 2021". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "LPL 2021 to go ahead as planned in July-August". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League 2021 to be postponed". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "LPL 2021: Lanka Premier League postponed due to unavailability of foreign players, now rescheduled for 19th November". InsideSport. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
- ^ "IPG announces new owner for Dambulla Giants". DailyFT. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ "Lyca Group Chairman Allirajah Subaskaran new owner of Jaffna Kings". DailyFT. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League's Kandy Franchise Get New Owners". News18. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Softlogic Holdings to take ownership of Colombo Franchise for LPL 2021". The Papare. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Avishka, Kohler-Cadmore fire Jaffna Kings to second successive LPL title". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "Player draft of LPL 2021 postponed". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ "Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews miss out on LPL drafts". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "LPL 2021 Captains and Coaching Staff confirmed". The Papare. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ "Schedule of the Lanka Premier League 2021". Retrieved 3 December 2021.
- ^ "Avishka Fernando's maiden T20 hundred takes Jaffna Kings into LPL final". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League, 2021 – Most Runs". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League, 2021 – Most Wickets". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.