Kandy Royals
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Angelo Mathews | |
| Coach | Chaminda Vaas[1] | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Kandy, Central Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Colors | Purple Yellow | |
| Founded | 2020: Kandy Tuskers 2021: Kandy Warriors 2022 & 2024: Kandy Falcons 2023: B-Love Kandy 2026: Kandy Royals | |
| Home ground | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | |
| Capacity | 35,000 | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 1 | |
| ||
Kandy Royals, formerly known as Kandy Falcons (in 2022 and 2024), B-Love Kandy (2023), Kandy Warriors (2021), and Kandy Tuskers (2020), is a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team founded in 2020 that competes in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), representing the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Franchise History
[edit]2020 season
[edit]Chris Gayle signed up as the Marquee Overseas player and Kusal Perera as the Local Icon player for the inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League. [2][3]
2021 season
[edit]In October 2021, the team changed their name to Kandy Warriors after changing owners.[4]
2022 season
[edit]The team underwent three ownership and name changes in as many years. They further changed their name to Kandy Falcons in 2022.[5] The team signed Wanindu Hasaranga as part of the pre-draft signing.[6] Four West Indian players, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas and Andre Fletcher were drafted in for the franchise later.[7]
2023 season
[edit]In 2023, prior to the LPL auction, the franchise was bought by the B-Love network led by Omar Khan.[8] With the new ownership, the name of the Kandy franchise was changed to B-Love Kandy. In that season, the Kandy franchise won its maiden Lanka Premier League title.[9]
2024 season
[edit]Sri Lanka Cricket severed the contract with B-Love Kandy in May 2024 citing breaches of contractual obligations. Management of the team passed on to the tournament organisers, the IPG Group. The franchisee B-Love Network is a Dubai-based cryptocurrency business.[10] However, B-Love Kandy participated in the player auction two days later.[11]
2026 season
[edit]In May 2026, the franchise was bought by Sandhya Ajjarapu, a US-based investor and entrepreneur, and the franchise rebranded as Kandy Royals under new ownership.[12] Angelo Mathews, Moeen Ali, Vijay Shankar and Wanindu Hasaranga were signed as pre-draft signings.
Current squad
[edit]- Sources: ESPNcricinfo,[13] ThePapare.com[14]
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
- denotes a player who was unavailable for rest of the season.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary (US$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| 6 | Vishen Halambage |  Sri Lanka |
19 January 2005 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2026 | 20,000 | |
| 26 | Sediqullah Atal |  Afghanistan |
12 August 2001 | Left handed | N/a | 2026 | 20,000 | Overseas |
| Muditha Lakshan | Sri Lanka |
20 December 2000 | Right handed | Slow left arm Orthodox | 2026 | 20,000 | ||
| 95 | Dale Phillips |  New Zealand |
15 October 1998 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 20,000 | Overseas |
| Pawan Sandesh | Sri Lanka |
21 November 2003 | Right handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 10,000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| 32 | Lahiru Udara | Sri Lanka |
27 November 1993 | Right handed | N/a | 2026 | 20,000 | |
| 153 | Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka |
7 August 1990 | Left handed | N/a | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 18 | Moeen Ali |  England |
18 June 1987 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | 80,000 | Overseas |
| 49 | Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka |
29 July 1997 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2026 | 80,000 | |
| 69 | Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka |
2 June 1987 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 60,000 | Captain |
| 21 | Brandon McMullen |  Scotland |
18 October 1999 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 15,000 | Overseas |
| 59 | Vijay Shankar |  India |
26 January 1991 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 60,000 | Overseas |
| 34 | Dushan Hemantha | Sri Lanka |
24 May 1994 | Right handed | Right arm Leg break | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| Zahir Khan | Afghanistan |
20 December 1998 | Left handed | Left-arm unorthodox spin | 2026 | 20,000 | Overseas | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| 10 | Shaheen Afridi |  Pakistan |
6 April 2000 | Left-handed | Left arm Fast | 2026 | 30,000 | Overseas |
| 78 | Asitha Fernando | Sri Lanka |
31 July 1997 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| 39 | Isitha Wijesundara | Sri Lanka |
11 May 1997 | Left handed | Right-arm Fast medium | 2026 | 20,000 | |
| Sahan Mihira | Sri Lanka |
1 May 2004 | Right handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 10,000 | ||
| Garuka Sanketh | Sri Lanka |
30 May 2005 | Left handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 30,000 | ||
| 53 | Nuwan Thushara | Sri Lanka |
6 August 1994 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 50,000 | |
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 |
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 | 2024 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 68.42 |
| 4 | Angelo Mathews | 2023 | present | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 18 December 2021
Administration and support staff
[edit]Coaching history
[edit]| Season | Head coach | Assistant coach |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hashan Tillakaratne |
|
| 2021 | Lalchand Rajput |
Ruvin Peiris |
| 2022 | Piyal Wijetunge |
Tharanga Dhammika |
| 2023 | Mushtaq Ahmed |
Piyal Wijetunge |
| 2024 | ||
| 2026 | Chaminda Vaas |
Upul Chandana |
Team identity
[edit] |
Anthem
[edit]| Year | Anthem | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Isuru Withanage, Shanthi Sri, Gayana Lewke, Chan Chan | |
| 2023 | Isuru Withanage, Ishari Munasingha, Chan Chan, Jay DC | |
| 2024 | Isuru Withanage, Chan Chan, Shanthi Sri |
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
[edit]| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding | Sleeve branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | JAT Paints | — | WHITE by JAT | ||
| 2021 | FairPlay News | Safexpay | N/a | Vernost Marketing, Vivandi | |
| 2022 | Speed Sports | MazaPlay | N/a | ||
| 2023 | BFICoin | Super11 | Time2Travel, Bulleto | ||
| 2024 | SPD Clothing | N/a | |||
| 2026 | |||||
References
[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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "LPL : New Kandy franchise owners announced". Newswire. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ↑ "B-Love Kandy wins LPL 2023". Ada Derana. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "U.S.-based investor Sandhya Ajjarapu takes ownership of Kandy Royals". ThePapare. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ↑ "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.
External links
[edit]| Seasons | |
|---|---|
| Player Drafts/Auctions |
|
| Finals | |
| Teams | |
| Venues | |
| Lists | |
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