Kandy Falcons (in 2022 and since 2024), formerly known as B-Love Kandy (2023), Kandy Warriors (2021), and Kandy Tuskers (2020), is a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), representing the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka which was founded in 2020. Chris Gayle signed up as the marquee overseas player and Kusal Perera as the local icon Player.[2][3] In October 2021, the team changed their name to Kandy Warriors after changing owners.[4] They further changed their name to Kandy Falcons in 2022.[5]
 | ||
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Wanindu Hasaranga | |
| Coach | Piyal Wijetunge[1] | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Kandy, Central Province | |
| Colors | Red | |
| Founded | 2020: Kandy Tuskers 2021: Kandy Warriors 2022 & 2024: Kandy Falcons 2023: B-Love Kandy | |
| Home ground | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | |
| Capacity | 35,000 | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 1 | |
| ||
 2024 | ||
In 2023, prior to the LPL auction, the franchise was bought by the B-Love network led by Omar Khan.[6]
Seasons
edit| Year | League table standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5th out of 5 | League stage |
| 2021 | 5th out of 5 | League stage |
| 2022 | 1st out of 5 | Playoffs |
| 2023 | 3rd out of 5 | Champions |
| 2024 | 4th out of 5 | 3rd |
2022 season
editThe team underwent three ownership and name changes in as many years. In the 2022 edition, the team signed Wanindu Hasaranga as part of the pre-draft signing.[7] Four West Indian players, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas, and Andre Fletcher were drafted in for the franchise later.[8]
2024 season
editSri Lanka Cricket severed the contract with B-Love Kandy in May 2024 citing breaches of contractual obligations. The franchisee B-Love Network is a Dubai-based cryptocurrency business.[9] However, B-Love Kandy participated in the player auction two days later.[10]
Current squad
edit- Sources: ESPNcricinfo,[11] ThePapare.com[12]
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
- denotes a player who was unavailable for rest of the season.
| No. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year Signed | Salary (US$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| Shammu Ashan | 
|
9 January 1998 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Ashen Bandara |
|
23 November 1998 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | 28,000 | ||
| 72 | Andre Fletcher | 
|
28 November 1987 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| 16 | Dimuth Karunaratne |
|
21 April 1988 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 10,000 | |
| Pavan Rathnayake |
|
24 August 2002 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| 56 | Dinesh Chandimal |
|
18 November 1989 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 40,000 | |
| 29 | Mohammad Haris | 
|
30 March 2001 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| 23 | Azam Khan |
|
10 August 1998 | Right handed | – | 2024 | 50,000 | Overseas |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 67 | Salman Ali Agha |
|
23 November 1993 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 10,000 | Overseas |
| 49 | Wanindu Hasaranga |
|
29 July 1997 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | Retained | Local Icon Player; Captain |
| 69 | Angelo Mathews |
|
2 June 1987 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2023 | Retained | Local Platinum Player |
| 21 | Kamindu Mendis |
|
30 September 1998 | Left handed | Slow left-arm orthodox, Right-arm off break | 2023 | Retained | |
| 25 | Ramesh Mendis |
|
7 July 1995 | Right handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 10,000 | |
| 7 | Dasun Shanaka |
|
9 September 1991 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 84,000 | |
| Chaturanga de Silva |
|
17 January 1990 | Left handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 30,000 | ||
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| 85 | Lakshan Sandakan |
|
10 June 1991 | Right handed | Left-arm wrist spin | 2024 | 20,000 | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| Mohammad Ali |
|
1 November 1992 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 10,000 | Overseas | |
| 5 | Dushmantha Chameera |
|
11 January 1992 | Right handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | Retained | |
| 71 | Chamath Gomez |
|
1 July 2004 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| 87 | Mohammad Hasnain |
|
5 April 2000 | Right handed | Right-arm fast | 2023 | 30,000 | Overseas |
| 47 | Shoriful Islam | 
|
3 June 2001 | Left handed | Left-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 30,000 | Overseas |
| Kavindu Pathiratne |
|
9 August 2002 | Left handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| 65 | Kasun Rajitha |
|
1 June 1993 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 26,000 | |
Captains
edit| No. | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kusal Perera | 2020 | 2020 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31.25 |
| 2 | Angelo Perera | 2021 | 2021 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| 3 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 2022 | present | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 68.42 |
| 4 | Angelo Mathews | 2023 | 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 18 December 2021
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
edit| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | JAT Paints | |||
| 2021 | FairPlay | Safexpay | ||
| 2022 | Speed Sports | MazaPlay | ||
| 2023 | BFICoin | |||
| 2024 | SPD Clothing | — | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Kandy Falcons". mykhel.com. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Report, K. T. "LPL will boost interest and offer opportunities for youngsters, feel Jaffna team owners". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ Scroll staff (19 October 2020). "Cricket: Gayle, du Plessis, Afridi among marquee names picked in Lanka Premier League draft". scroll.in. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League's Kandy Franchise Get New Owners". News18. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "LPL 2022 Draft LIVE: Squads FINAL! Baby AB Dewald Brevis to make LPL debut with Kandy Falcons: Check LPL 2022 Full Squads". Inside Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "LPL : New Kandy franchise owners announced". Newswire. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ Balasuriya, Madushka (2 July 2022). "LPL 2022 draft: Kandy Falcons sign Hasaranga; Rajapaksa to turn out for Dambulla Giants". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "Jimmy Neesham, Carlos Brathwaite headline overseas names for LPL". Daily Mirror. Wijeya Newspapers. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ "SLC 'unloves' Kandy franchise owners ahead of LPL 5". The Sunday Times. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "SLC 'B-Loves' Kandy after 'Unloving' them". Newswire. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ "Pathirana, Udana, Janat the most expensive picks in LPL 2024 auction". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "LPL 2024 Auction: Full Squads of all 5 Teams". ThePapare. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  | This article about a Sri Lankan sports club is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |