Jaffna Kings Explained
Jaffna Kings, 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]
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
| 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
The 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
In 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
| Name | Nat. | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary | Notes |
|---|
| Batters |
| 28 | Avishka Fernando |  | df=y 5 April 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| 18 | Pathum Nissanka | | df=y 18 May 1998 | Right-handed | | 2024 | 40,000 | |
| 49 | Alex Ross |  | df=y 17 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 20,000 | Overseas |
| 32 | Rilee Rossouw |  | df=y 9 October 1989 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 60,000 | Overseas |
| Ahan Wickramasinghe | | df=y 2 September 2001 | Right-handed | | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| All-rounders |
| 97 | Fabian Allen |  | df=y 7 May 1995 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 32,000 | Overseas |
| 72 | Charith Asalanka | | df=y 29 June 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | Retained | Captain |
| 75 | Dhananjaya de Silva | | df=y 6 September 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 50,000 | |
| 77 | Azmatullah Omarzai |  | df=y 24 March 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Wanuja Sahan | | df=y 17 June 2003 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 10,000 | |
| Lahiru Samarakoon | | df=y 3 March 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | |
| Wicket-keepers |
| Nishan Madushka | | df=y 10 September 1999 | Right-handed | | 2024 | 10,000 | |
| 13 | Kusal Mendis | | df=y 2 February 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Vishad Randika | | df=y 2 September 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| Spin bowlers |
| Murvin Abinash | | df=y 18 June 2000 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| 15 | Tabraiz Shamsi | | df=y 18 February 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm unorthodox spin | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Theesan Vithushan | | df=y 2 May 2001 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| 26 | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | | df=y 5 December 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | Retained | |
| Pace bowlers |
| 65 | Jason Behrendorff | | df=y 20 April 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 50,000 | Overseas |
| Asitha Fernando | | df=y 31 July 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 40,000 | |
| 40 | Pramod Madushan | | df=y 14 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 20,000 | |
| Eshan Malinga | | df=y 4 February 2001 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | |
| Arul Pragasam | | df=y 6 November 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 5,000 | |
| Nisala Tharaka | | df=y 20 April 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 5,000 | | |
Administration and support staff
Statistics
By season
| Year | Matches | Wins | Losses | No result | % win | Position | Summary |
|---|
| 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 67% | 3/5 | Champions |
| 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 72.72% | 1/5 | Champions |
| 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80% | 2/5 | Champions |
| 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 33.33 | 4/5 | Eliminator |
| Total | 46 | 28 | 17 | 1 | 62.22 | |
|---|
By opposition
| Opposition | Matches | Won | Lost | | % Win |
|---|
| 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 80 |
| Dambulla Franchise | 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 63.64 |
| 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 66.67 |
| 9 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 40 | |
Individual records
Captains
Most runs
| Runs | Player | Seasons |
|---|
| 926 | Avishka Fernando | 2020–2022 |
| 674 | | 2020–2023 |
| 640 | | 2020–2023 |
| 607 | | 2021–2023 |
| 302 | | 2021–2022 | |
Highest individual score
Most career wickets
Best figures in an innings
| Figures | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|
| 4/10 | | | | |
| 4/13 | | | | |
| 4/16 | | | |
| 4/22 | | | | |
| 4/25 | | | | | |
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
Honours
League
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Stallions win first ever LPL title. 7 January 2021. Jaffna Stallions. en-US.
- News: Thattil . Roscoe . Jaffna Kings crowned champions, again . 9 December 2022 . . . 24 December 2021.
- Web site: Shoaib Malik powers Jaffna Stallions to inaugural LPL title win. 7 January 2021. CricketTimes.com. en-US.
- Web site: Sanyal . S. . LPL 2020: The complete player lists for all Lanka Premier League franchises . Sportskeeda. 23 October 2020. 21 October 2020.
- Web site: 19 October 2020. Cricket: Gayle, du Plessis, Afridi among marquee names picked in Lanka Premier League draft. 23 October 2020. scroll.in.
- Web site: Jaffna Stallions. 19 November 2020. Jaffna Stallions Team Page. Jaffna Stallions. en-US.
- Web site: 19 November 2020. Founder of Microsoft Ventures Rahul Sood joins Jaffna Stallions as co-owner. 19 November 2020. Lanka Business Online. en-US.
- Web site: Jaffna Stallions cricket team a winner for Calgary-born co-founder Rahul Sood. 7 January 2021. North Shore News. en.
- Web site: 2020-12-12. Seattle tech leaders including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are investing in cricket teams. 8 January 2021. GeekWire. en-US.
- Web site: La Signore ft Dinesh - Vaadaa Machan வாடா மச்சான் (Jaffna Stallions Theme Song) - YouTube. 8 January 2021. www.youtube.com.
- Web site: Jaffna Boys. 8 January 2021. Jaffna Boys. en.
- Web site: LPL terminates one more franchise . CricBuzz . 8 July 2021.
- Web site: Lyca Group Chairman Allirajah Subaskaran new owner of Jaffna Kings. 29 September 2021. DailyFT. en-gb.
- Web site: Pathirana, Udana, Janat the most expensive picks in LPL 2024 auction . ESPNcricinfo. 21 May 2024.
- News: LPL 2024 Auction: Full Squads of all 5 Teams . 22 May 2024 . ThePapare . 21 May 2024.
- Web site: Lanka Premier League Cricket Team and Records ESPNcricinfo.com. Cricinfo. 8 January 2021.
- Web site: Jaffna Kings records by opponents. ESPNcricinfo. 8 January 2022.
- News: Most career runs . ESPNcricinfo . 20 October 2020.
- News: Highest individual score . ESPNcricinfo . 20 October 2020.
- News: Most career wickets . ESPNcricinfo . 20 October 2020.
- News: Best bowling figures in an innings . 20 October 2020.
Thisara Perera