LPL a success despite pandemic fears
When Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced the launch of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) tournament, the cricket adoring public gave a sigh of relief as competitive cricket was being played in the country after a gap of nine months albeit behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment in Hambantota.
They overcame numerous challenges along the way, from multiple postponements to player withdrawals to conduct the inaugural tournament successfully amid COVID-19 health guidelines. Financially it may not have been successful given the economic environment following the pandemic but it did provide a fine platform for young Sri Lankans to showcase their talents to a global audience. The likes of Andre Russell, Muhammad Amir, Shoaib Malik, Johnson Charles and Laurie Evans provided the foreign flavour. There was some brilliant batting, exceptional bowling performances during the 23 games which saw Jaffna Stallions winning the title beating Galle Gladiators but the overall fielding performance was a concern. It was below par to say the least.
Overall it was a fantastic tournament and the efforts that were taken by the minister of sports, the health authorities and the Sri Lanka Cricket officials to have this tournament during a pandemic is commendable.
Let’s take a closer look at how each team fared during the tournament.
Colombo Kings
After six wins out of eight matches, Colombo Kings deserved a place in the final, but the table toppers crashed out after losing their semi-final clash against Galle Gladiators. There were calls for the tournament format to be changed by introducing IPL-style play-offs where the top team gets another chance of qualifying to the final.
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena endorsed the same in a twitter message following Galle’s semi-final victory. It was heart-breaking for the Kings who had a successful campaign till then as Dinesh Chandimal, Laurie Evans contributed with the bat while Andre Russell starred as an all-rounder. Evans made the only century of the tournament, hitting a career-best 108 runs off 65 deliveries against Jaffna Stallions.
Skipper Angelo Mathews had a dismal tournament with the bat scoring a mere 69 runs, a very unMathews-like performance. He bowled 17.1 overs and claimed five wickets until he hobbled off with a hamstring injury during the first semi-final.
It forced him to miss the South African tour. Another disappointment was Isuru Udana – a man with a wealth of experience in the shorter format. Joining the squad after his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, the left-armer snared just five wickets with the ball and managed only 79 runs with the bat. Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmad was the star with the ball claiming 12 wickets. Andre Russell and Dusmantha Chameera claimed eight wickets each.
Kandy Tuskers
Kandy Tuskers were quite unfortunate in the first two games. They lost the first match after a Super Over clash against the Colombo Kings and the weather interrupted their second group match against Dambulla Viiking. They only managed to win two out of their eight group stage matches.
Captain Kusal Perera led from the front while Kusal Mendis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Asela Gunaratne and Brendan Taylor (Zimbabwe) provided the silver lining for the Tuskers.
In bowling Asela Gunaratne was the standout performer with nine wickets. Nuwan Pradeep and Afghanistan’s Naveen Ul-Haq also impressed with eight wickets each. The Tuskers failed to deliver under pressure and was the main reason for their early exit from the tournament.
Dambulla Viiking
The Dambulla Viiking came into the tournament with a young team. Dasun Shanaka led his team from the front with both bat and ball. They did quite well in the group stage as they won five out of eight matches. They utilised their squad well giving at least one match for each member in the squad except for Ashen Bandara.
They had a balanced group of players where they performed consistently throughout their campaign. Five batsmen went on to score over 185 runs and five bowlers claimed six or more wickets. Angelo Perera and Niroshan Dickwella were the standout performers with the bat while Anwar Ali and Malinda Pushpakumara did well with the ball.
They started the tournament with a string of victories but Viiking couldn’t cope with the pressure later on and lost their semi-final clash to Jaffna Stallions.
Galle Gladiators
The Galle Gladiators were the unpredictable team in the competition. They lost their first five matches in the group stage and were on the brink of heading home early. However, they came back strongly towards the end of the tournament to make it to the final. They won just two out of eight group games and earned their place in the semi-final owing to their superior run-rate than Tuskers. Bhanuka Rajapaksa stepped up as captain after Shahid Afridi had to leave due to personal reasons.
None of their batsmen had a great tournament except Danushka Gunathilaka, who was the highest run scorer with 476 at an average of 59.50. Another bright spot was the performance of 22-year-old Dananjaya Lakshan, who was the Emerging Player of the Tournament scoring 77 runs at an average of 38.5 and claiming 13 wickets.
Pakistan’s Muhammad Amir spearheaded their attack, ably supported by another young prospect of Sri Lanka cricket, Nuwan Thushara in the latter part of the competition. Amir ended with 11 wickets and also had the only five-wicket haul in the tournament. In the final, they were put to the sword by the Jaffna Stallions from the outset itself. Some unfortunate incidents including an injury to Rajapaksa and Danushka Gunathilaka’s freaky run-out hampered their chances.
Jaffna Stallions
The Jaffna Stallions dominated the LPL from the outset. Skipper Thisara Perera led his team with all- round performances. They won the first four matches comprehensively. But they lost three out of the next four while one match was washed out. Bowling was their strength and even though the top order didn’t score enough runs, they trusted their attack to defend totals.
Wanindu Hasaranga was the trump card for Jaffna Stallions. He was able to contribute with both bat and ball which enabled them to win the inaugural edition of the LPL. He was crowned as the Player of the Tournament. Pakistan veteran Malik was the perfect foil for the young Stallions, being adjudged Player of the Final.