Jaffna Kings (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் கிங்ஸ்), formerly known as Jaffna Stallions, are a franchise cricket team which plays in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). On 16 December 2020, the team won the inaugural Lanka Premier League 2020 Championship[1] and are the current title holder of the tournament.[2] The team captain Thisara Perera and Shoaib Malik both played pivotal roles in the win.[3]
 | ||
| Nickname(s) | Kings of The North | |
|---|---|---|
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Charith Asalanka | |
| Coach | Avishka Gunawardene | |
| Owner | Subaskaran Allirajah (Lyca Group) | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Jaffna, Northern Province | |
| Colours | Blue Gold | |
| Founded | 2020: Jaffna Stallions 2021: Jaffna Kings | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 4 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024) | |
| ||
 Jaffna Kings in 2024 | ||
The team was coached by former Sri Lankan captain Thilina Kandamby.[4] Thisara Perera was the team's captain for the first four seasons.[5]
Seasons
edit| Year | League table standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3rd out of 5 | Champions |
| 2021 | 1st out of 5 | Champions |
| 2022 | 2nd out of 5 | Champions |
| 2023 | 4th out of 5 | Playoffs |
| 2024 | 2nd out of 5 | Champions |
2020 season
editThe team was owned by a consortium consisting of Sri Lankans and Indians from all over the world including Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, and the USA.[6] Arnold Anandan and Rahul Sood, creator of Microsoft Ventures M12, were leading the consortium of tech industry leaders from the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley.[7][8] Among others, Rahul Sood was cited as a tech leader from the Seattle area who is investing in cricket, where the Jaffna Stallions also announced a global education partnership with Code.org.[9] As part of their outreach to the country of Sri Lanka the Jaffna Stallions released a song in partnership with famous artists La Signore, aka Lahiru Perera, and Dinesh Gamage, the song contains lyrics in both Sinhalese and Tamil and it's now trending at the top of the charts in Sri Lanka.[10][11]
2021 season
editIn July 2021, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) terminated the franchise ahead of the 2021 Lanka Premier League, due to financial issues.[12] In September 2021, the team changed their name to Jaffna Kings after changing owners.[13]
Current squad
edit- Sources: ESPNcricinfo,[14] ThePapare.com[15]
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| No. | Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary (US$) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| 28 | Avishka Fernando |  |
5 April 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| 18 | Pathum Nissanka | |
18 May 1998 | Right-handed | — | 2024 | 40,000 | |
| 49 | Alex Ross |  |
17 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 20,000 | Overseas |
| 32 | Rilee Rossouw |  |
9 October 1989 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 60,000 | Overseas |
| Ahan Wickramasinghe | |
2 September 2001 | Right-handed | — | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 97 | Fabian Allen |  |
7 May 1995 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 32,000 | Overseas |
| 72 | Charith Asalanka | |
29 June 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | Retained | Captain |
| 75 | Dhananjaya de Silva | |
6 September 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 50,000 | |
| 77 | Azmatullah Omarzai |  |
24 March 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Wanuja Sahan | |
17 June 2003 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 10,000 | ||
| Lahiru Samarakoon | |
3 March 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| Nishan Madushka | |
10 September 1999 | Right-handed | — | 2024 | 10,000 | ||
| 13 | Kusal Mendis | |
2 February 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Vishad Randika | |
2 September 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| Murvin Abinash | |
18 June 2000 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| 15 | Tabraiz Shamsi | |
18 February 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm unorthodox spin | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Theesan Vithushan | |
2 May 2001 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| 26 | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | |
5 December 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | Retained | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| 65 | Jason Behrendorff | |
20 April 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 50,000 | Overseas |
| Asitha Fernando | |
31 July 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 40,000 | ||
| 40 | Pramod Madushan | |
14 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 20,000 | |
| Eshan Malinga | |
4 February 2001 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | ||
| Arul Pragasam | |
6 November 2003 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Nisala Tharaka | |
20 April 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
Administration and support staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Director | Ganeshan Vaheesan |
| Manager | Charinda Fernando |
| Head Coach | Avishka Gunawardene |
| Assistant Coach | Mario Villavarayan |
| Assistant Coach | Hemang Badani |
| Batting Coach | Jehan Mubarak |
| Bowling Coach | Sachith Pathirana |
| Fielding Coach | Vimukthi Deshapriya |
| Performance Analyst | GGT Niroshan |
Statistics
editBy season
edit| Year | Matches | Wins | Losses | No result | % win | Position | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 67% | 3/5 | Champions |
| 2021 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72.72% | 1/5 | Champions |
| 2022 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80% | 2/5 | Champions |
| 2023 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 33.33 | 4/5 | Eliminator |
| Total | 46 | 28 | 17 | 1 | 62.22 |
- Source :ESPNcricinfo[16]
By opposition
edit| Opposition | Matches | Won | Lost | NR | % Win |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombo Franchise | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80 |
| Dambulla Franchise | 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 63.64 |
| Galle Franchise | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Kandy Franchise | 9 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[17]
Individual records
editCaptains
edit| No. | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thisara Perera
|
2020 | 2023 | 45 | 28 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 61.64 | |
| 2 | Charith Asalanka
|
2024 | present | - | ||||||
Most runs
edit- As of 19 August 2023
| Runs | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 926 | Avishka Fernando | 2020–2022 |
| 674 | Shoaib Malik | 2020–2023 |
| 640 | Thisara Perera | 2020–2023 |
| 607 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 2021–2023 |
| 302 | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | 2021–2022 |
- Source: CricInfo[18]
Highest individual score
edit- As of 19 August 2023
| Runs | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | Avishka Fernando | Dambulla Giants | Hambantota | 21 December 2021 |
| 97* | Thisara Perera | Dambulla Viiking | 30 November 2020 | |
| 92* | Avishka Fernando | Galle Gladiators | 27 November 2020 | |
| 92 | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 16 December 2021 |
| 84 | Avishka Fernando | Galle Gladiators | Hambantota | 3 December 2020 |
- Source: CricInfo[19]
Most career wickets
edit- As of 19 August 2023
| Wickets | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Maheesh Theekshana | 2020–2023 |
| 28 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 2020–2021 |
| 22 | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | 2020–2023 |
| 16 | Dunith Wellalage | 2022–2023 |
| 15 | Multiple players | |
- Source: CricInfo[20]
Best figures in an innings
edit- As of 19 August 2023
| Figures | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/10 | Dunith Wellalage | Galle Titans | Pallekele | 4 August 2023 |
| 4/13 | Jayden Seales | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 16 December 2021 |
| 4/16 | Chathuranga de Silva | Dambulla Giants | 13 December 2021 | |
| 4/22 | Binura Fernando | Dambulla Aura | Pallekele | 11 December 2022 |
| 4/25 | Maheesh Theekshana | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 10 December 2021 |
- Source: CricInfo[21]
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
edit| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Code.org | |||
| 2021 | Lyca Mobile | Cycle Incense | NLB | |
| 2022 | SkyExch | |||
| 2023 | 1xBet | Wolf777 | Batbricks7 | |
| 2024 | MelBat | MGlion News | ||
Honours
editLeague
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Stallions win first ever LPL title". Jaffna Stallions. Archived from the original on 31 October 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Thattil, Roscoe (24 December 2021). "Jaffna Kings crowned champions, again". The Island. Upali Newspapers. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ "Shoaib Malik powers Jaffna Stallions to inaugural LPL title win". CricketTimes.com. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Sanyal, S. (21 October 2020). "LPL 2020: The complete player lists for all Lanka Premier League franchises". Sportskeeda. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Cricket: Gayle, du Plessis, Afridi among marquee names picked in Lanka Premier League draft". scroll.in. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ Jaffna Stallions (19 November 2020). "Jaffna Stallions Team Page". Jaffna Stallions.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Founder of Microsoft Ventures Rahul Sood joins Jaffna Stallions as co-owner". Lanka Business Online. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
- ^ "Jaffna Stallions cricket team a winner for Calgary-born co-founder Rahul Sood". North Shore News. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ "Seattle tech leaders including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are investing in cricket teams". GeekWire. 12 December 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "La Signore ft Dinesh - Vaadaa Machan | வாடா மச்சான் (Jaffna Stallions Theme Song) - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Jaffna Boys". Jaffna Boys. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "LPL terminates one more franchise". CricBuzz. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Lyca Group Chairman Allirajah Subaskaran new owner of Jaffna Kings". DailyFT. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Lanka Premier League Cricket Team and Records | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ "Jaffna Kings records by opponents". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "Most career runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Highest individual score". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Most career wickets". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Best bowling figures in an innings". Retrieved 20 October 2020.