The 2023 Lanka Premier League also known as Skyfair.news LPL T20, for sponsorship reasons, was the fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL), a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in Sri Lanka. It began on 30 July and the final was held on 20 August 2023.[1] The tournament was played by five teams in three international venues.[2] The league was organized by the Sri Lanka Cricket.[3] Jaffna Kings were the defending champions.[4] This was the first Lanka Premier League season to feature an auction as the previous editions used to have the draft to choose players.[5]
 | |
| Dates | 30 July – 20 August 2023 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Sri Lanka Cricket |
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Double round-robin and playoffs |
| Host(s) | Sri Lanka |
| Champions | B-Love Kandy (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Dambulla Aura |
| Participants | 5 |
| Matches | 24 |
| Player of the series | Wanindu Hasaranga (B-Love Kandy) |
| Most runs | Wanindu Hasaranga (B-Love Kandy) (279) |
| Most wickets | Wanindu Hasaranga (B-Love Kandy) (19) |
| Official website | Lanka Premier League |
Due to change of ownership various teams changed names. Kandy Falcons became B-Love Kandy.[6][7] Galle Gladiators changed to Galle Titans.[8] Colombo Stars were renamed as Colombo Strikers.[9]
On 20 August 2023, B-Love Kandy defeated Dambulla Aura by 5 wickets in the final, to win their maiden LPL title.[10]
Competition format
editEach team can include a maximum of six international players in their squad. The five teams will play each other twice in the round-robin stage. Among them, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs.[11]
Teams
edit| Team | City | Debut | Owner | Captain | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo Strikers | Colombo, Western Province | 2023 | Sagar Khanna | Niroshan Dickwella | Simon Helmot |
| Dambulla Aura | Dambulla, Central Province | 2022 | Viranjith Thambugala | Kusal Mendis | Avishka Gunawardene |
| Galle Titans | Galle, Southern Province | 2023 | Nayana Wasalathilaka | Dasun Shanaka | Chamara Kapugedara |
| Jaffna Kings | Jaffna, Northern Province | 2021 | Subaskaran Allirajah | Thisara Perera | Thilina Kandamby |
| B-Love Kandy | Kandy, Central Province | 2023 | Omar Khan | Wanindu Hasaranga | Mushtaq Ahmed |
Squads
editThe players' auction was held on 14 June 2023. Prior to the auction, some big-name players signed contracts with the five teams. These players include Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shakib Al Hasan and David Miller.[12][13][14]
Player auction
editThe auction was held on 14 June 2023, where the five franchises were allowed to spend a maximum of US$500,000 each. The auction was held at Shangri-La Colombo and the likes of Wasim Akram and Angelo Mathews were available during the player auction.[15][16] Popular Indian cricket commentator Charu Sharma was invited as the chief auctioneer for the auction.[17]
Each team was allowed to have a squad of 20-24 players, inclusive of a mandatory six overseas players and 14-19 domestic players. Any money not spent from the pre-signing kitty cannot be carried over to the auction. The teams also had a right-to-match option for their players, and the money for that had to come from within the auction kitty.[18]
Bidding took place between two teams at any given time, with a third team allowed to join the bidding only once one of the first two teams had withdrawn from the process. An "accelerated" auction process occurred after the first 70 names were presented for bidding. This process saw franchises nominate 15-20 players, including unsold players, who will go under the hammer.
Players were categorised into two groups, capped and uncapped. Each capped player will be able to register themselves under base prices ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 in $10,000 increments. Uncapped players will be classed with a base price of $20,000 - those having played a minimum of 50 first-class matches; $10,000 - a minimum of 25 first-class matches, or a minimum of 18 matches in the LPL or any other equivalent T20 franchise league; and $5000 - those who do not meet any of the criteria mentioned above.[13]
Dilshan Madushanka became the auction's most expensive player to be picked when Jaffna Kings bought him for a record price of $92,000.[19][20] New Zealand's Chad Bowes became the auction's most expensive overseas player to be picked at $58,000 and it raised eyebrows given Bowes is yet to establish and prove himself at international level.[19]
It was reported that some prominent overseas players including the likes of Rassie van der Dussen were not picked by any of the franchise owners due to the said players being signed up by rival franchise T20 leagues such as Global T20 Canada which are also set to clash with LPL during the same time period.[19]
Venues
editR. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy were selected as the venues.[21]
| Colombo | Kandy |
|---|---|
| R. Premadasa Stadium | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium |
|
|
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 35,000 |
  Colombo Kandy | |
Standings
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dambulla Aura (R) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.793 |
| 2 | Galle Titans (3rd) | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.353 |
| 3 | B-Love Kandy (C) | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.185 |
| 4 | Jaffna Kings (4th) | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | −0.179 |
| 5 | Colombo Strikers | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | −1.215 |
- The top four teams qualified for the playoffs
- Advance to Qualifier 1
- Advance to Eliminator
Fixtures
editJaffna Kings
173/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Strikers
152 (19.4 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to field.
Galle Titans
180/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Aura
180/7 (20 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to field.
- Super Over: Dambulla Aura 9/1, Galle Titans 11/0
Colombo Strikers
157/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
130/8 (20 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to bat.
Jaffna Kings
129/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Aura
132/2 (16.2 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Titans
180/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
97 (17.1 overs) |
- Galle Titans won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Aura
156/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
160/3 (18.3 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Titans
117/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
120/2 (12.4 overs) |
- Galle Titans won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Aura
192/6 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Strikers
182/4 (20 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to field.
Jaffna Kings
117/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
118/2 (13 overs) |
- B-Love Kandy won the toss and elected to field.
Galle Titans
188/3 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Strikers
189/3 (19.5 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to field.
Dambulla Aura
134/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
125/7 (20 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
B-Love Kandy
203/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Titans
114 (16.4 overs) |
- Galle Titans won the toss and elected to field.
Colombo Strikers
146/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
150/4 (14.3 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to bat.
Galle Titans
133/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Aura
134/3 (17.4 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to field.
B-Love Kandy
178/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
170/6 (20 overs) |
- B-Love Kandy won the toss and elected to field.
Dambulla Aura
166/5 (20 overs) |
v
|
Colombo Strikers
116 (19.4 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to bat.
Jaffna Kings
89 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Titans
90/3 (13.3 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to bat.
Colombo Strikers
169/9 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
160/8 (20 overs) |
- Colombo Strikers won the toss and elected to bat.
Dambulla Aura
162/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
142 (19.4 overs) |
- B-Love Kandy won the toss and elected to field.
Colombo Strikers
74 (15.4 overs) |
v
|
Galle Titans
75/2 (8.3 overs) |
- Galle Titans won the toss and elected to field.
Playoffs
edit| Qualifier 1 / Eliminator | Qualifier 2 | Final | |||||||||||
| 17 August 2023 — Colombo | 20 August 2023 — Colombo | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Dambulla Aura | 147/4 (19.4 overs) | Q1W | Dambulla Aura | 147/4 (20 overs) | ||||||||
| 2 | Galle Titans | 146 (20 overs) | 19 August 2023 — Colombo | Q2W | B-Love Kandy | 151/5 (19.5 overs) | |||||||
| Q1L | Galle Titans | 123/8 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 17 August 2023 — Colombo | EW | B-Love Kandy | 157/7 (20 overs) | ||||||||||
| 3 | B-Love Kandy | 188/8 (20 overs) | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jaffna Kings | 127 (17.2 overs) | |||||||||||
Galle Titans
146 (20 overs) |
v
|
Dambulla Aura
147/4 (19.4 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to field.
B-Love Kandy
188/8 (20 overs) |
v
|
Jaffna Kings
127 (17.2 overs) |
- Jaffna Kings won the toss and elected to field.
B-Love Kandy
157/7 (20 overs) |
v
|
Galle Titans
123/8 (20 overs) |
- B-Love Kandy won the toss and elected to bat.
Final
editDambulla Aura
147/4 (20 overs) |
v
|
B-Love Kandy
151/5 (19.5 overs) |
- Dambulla Aura won the toss and elected to bat.
Statistics
editMost runs
edit| Player | Team | Matches | Runs. | High score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanindu Hasaranga | B-Love Kandy | 10 | 279 | 64 |
| Babar Azam | Colombo Strikers | 8 | 261 | 104 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | B-Love Kandy | 10 | 259 | 50 |
| Avishka Fernando | Dambulla Aura | 10 | 244 | 70 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | Dambulla Aura | 10 | 234 | 59 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets
edit| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wanindu Hasaranga | B-Love Kandy | 10 | 19 | 6/9 |
| Nuwan Pradeep | B-Love Kandy | 7 | 14 | 3/21 |
| Noor Ahmad | Dambulla Aura | 8 | 12 | 3/27 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Colombo Strikers | 8 | 12 | 3/24 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | Galle Titans | 9 | 12 | 4/20 |
- Source: ESPNCricinfo
References
edit- ^ "Lanka Premier League to be played from July 30 to August 20". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "LPL 2023: SLC confirms LPL to take place in 3 Venues". InsideSport. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Cricket to Hold the 4th Edition of the LPL in July and August". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Jaffna Kings champions of LPL 2022". The Island. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League player auction on June 14 - How will it work? - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "LPL: New Kandy franchise owners announced". Newswire. 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Bollywood Meets LPL, Sanjay Dutt Becomes Owner of B Love Kandy ahead of LPL 2023". Insidesport. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "LPL: New Kandy franchise owners announced". Ada Derana. 18 July 2023.
- ^ "New York-based SKKY group takes over LPL Colombo franchise". Ada Derana. 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Mathews ensures Kandy hold their nerve to take LPL title". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "World-Class Cricketers Set Sights on LPL 2023: Sri Lanka's T20 Tournament Sparkles!". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
- ^ "LPL attracts top international players in the pre signing". Sri Lanka Cricket. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ a b Balasuriya, Madushka (23 May 2023). "LPL Season 4 to have IPL-style auction for the five squads". espncricinfo. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
- ^ Witney, Katya (23 May 2023). "LPL 2023: From Babar Azam To David Miller – List Of Players Pre-Signed By Each Team In Lanka Premier League". Wisden. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "LPL inaugural player auction at Shangri La Hotel today | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Weerasooriya, Sahan (15 June 2023). "LPL auction brings big dollars for Lankan cricketers". Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Indian commentator Charu Sharma invited for LPL auction - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Agarwal, Naman (14 June 2023). "LPL 2023 Auction List: Full Set Of Players Registered For The 2023 Lanka Premier League". Wisden. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "LPL auction: Dilshan Madushanka becomes most expensive player". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ "Dilshan Madushanka fetches record LPL price of $ 92,000 | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ World-Class Cricketers Set Sights on LPL 2023: Sri Lanka’s T20 Tournament Sparkles! Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 25 April 2023