Dambulla Thunders, previously Dambulla Aura, Dambulla Viiking, and Dambulla Giants, are a franchise Twenty20 cricket team based in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, that competes in the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Kusal Mendis | |
| Coach | Avishka Gunawardene | |
| Owner | Imperial Sports Group | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Dambulla, Central Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Colours | Blue | |
| Founded | 2020: Dambulla Viiking 2021: Dambulla Giants 2022: Dambulla Aura 2024: Dambulla Thunders | |
| Home ground | Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla | |
| Capacity | 16,800 | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 0 | |
| ||
In June 2021, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) terminated the franchise ahead of the 2021 Lanka Premier League, due to financial issues.[1][2] In September 2021, the team changed their name to Dambulla Giants after changing owners.[3] Then, prior to the 2022 season, Aura Lanka brought the franchise and changed its name to Dambulla Aura.[4] IN 2024, the team was purchased by Imperial Sports Group, who renamed it Dambulla Thunders.[5]
Seasons edit
| Year | League standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2nd out of 5 | Semi-finalists |
| 2021 | 4th out of 5 | Playoffs |
| 2022 | 5th out of 5 | Group stage |
| 2023 | 1st out of 5 | Runners up |
Current squad edit
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| Jehan Daniel |  Sri Lanka
|
13 April 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm Fast Medium | 2023 | USD 8000 | ||
| Lakshan Edirisinghe | Sri Lanka
|
31 January 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm Offbreak | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
| 28 | Avishka Fernando | Sri Lanka
|
5 April 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm Medium | 2023 | Local Platinum Player | |
| Kavidu Lakshan | Sri Lanka
|
12 February 2002 | Left-handed | Right-arm Offbreak | 2023 | |||
| 49 | Alex Ross |  Australia
|
17 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm Offbreak | 2023 | USD 20000 | |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 75 | Dhananjaya De Silva | Sri Lanka
|
6 September 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm Offbreak | 2023 | USD 76000 | |
| Manelker de Silva | Sri Lanka
|
8 August 1998 | Left-handed | Right-arm Medium Fast | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
| Ravindu Fernando | Sri Lanka
|
3 November 1999 | Right-handed | Right-arm Legbreak | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
| 34 | Dushan Hemantha | Sri Lanka
|
24 May 1994 | Right-handed | Right-arm Legbreak | 2023 | USD 20000 | |
| Sachitha Jayathilake | Sri Lanka
|
24 February 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm Legbreak | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
| 50 | Hayden Kerr | Australia
|
10 July 1996 | Right-handed | Left-arm Fast Medium | 2023 | USD 20000 | |
| 67 | Janith Liyanage | Sri Lanka
|
12 July 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm Fast Medium | 2023 | USD 10000 | |
| Wanuja Sahan | Sri Lanka
|
17 May 2003 | Right-handed | Slow Left Arm Orthodox | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| Ben McDermott | Australia
|
12 December 1994
(age 28) |
Right-handed | 2023 | Overseas Icon player | |||
| 13 | Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka
|
2 February 1995 | Right-handed | – | 2023 | Local Icon Player | |
| 55 | Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka
|
17 August 1990 | Left-handed | – | 2023 | USD 40000 | |
| 23 | Sadeera Samarawickrama | Sri Lanka
|
30 August 1995 | Right-handed | – | 2023 | USD 40000 | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| 15 | Noor Ahmad |  Afghanistan
|
3 January 2005 | Right-handed | Left-arm Chinaman | 2023 | USD 50000 | |
| 92 | Praveen Jayawickrama | Sri Lanka
|
30 September 1998 | Right-handed | Left-arm Slow Left Arm Orthodox | 2023 | USD 20000 | |
| Traveen Mathew | Sri Lanka
|
14 July 2004 | Right-handed | Right-arm Offbreak | 2023 | USD 7500 | ||
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| 32 | Hasan Ali |  Pakistan
|
02 July 1992
(age 29) |
Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 2023 | ||
| 11 | Shahnawaz Dahani | Pakistan
|
5 August 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 2023 | USD 20000 | |
| 71 | Binura Fernando | Sri Lanka
|
16 July 1995 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast medium | 2023 | USD 76000 | |
| 40 | Pramod Madushan | Sri Lanka
|
14 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast medium | 2023 | USD 34000 | |
| Kavindu Pathirathne | Sri Lanka
|
9 August 2002 | Right-handed | Right-arm Fast Medium | 2023 | USD 5000 | ||
Source: ESPN cricinfo[6]
Statistics edit
Most runs edit
- As of 19 August 2023
| Runs | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 544 | Dasun Shanaka | 2020–2022 |
| 421 | Niroshan Dickwella | 2020–2021 |
| 301 | Phil Salt | 2021 |
| 239 | Avishka Fernando | 2023 |
| 227 | Angelo Perera | 2020 |
- Source: CricInfo[7]
Highest individual score edit
- As of 19 August 2023
| Runs | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | Kusal Mendis | Colombo Strikers | Pallekele | 5 August 2023 |
| 80 | Shevon Daniel | Galle Gladiators | Colombo | 17 December 2022 |
| 77 | Upul Tharanga | Galle Gladiators | Hambantota | 5 December 2020 |
| 77 | Jordan Cox | Galle Gladiators | Colombo | 17 December 2022 |
| 75 * | Chamika Karunaratne | Jaffna Kings | Hambantota | 21 December 2021 |
- Source: CricInfo[8]
Most wickets edit
- As of 19 August 2023
| Wickets | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Imran Tahir | 2021 |
| 13 | Ramesh Mendis | 2020–2022 |
| 12 | Noor Ahmad | 2022–2023 |
| 10 | Dhananjaya de Silva | 2023 |
| 10 | Nuwan Pradeep | 2021 |
- Source: CricInfo[9]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "SLC approves termination of Colombo Kings and Dambulla Viiking". CricBuzz. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "Colombo Kings, Dambulla Viiking terminate contracts, withdraw from LPL 2021". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ "IPG announces new owner for Dambulla Giants". DailyFT. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ Aura Lanka Group secures ownership of Dambulla Team in LPL Daily News. Retrieved 6 December 2022
- ^ "Dambulla franchise rebranded as Dambulla Thunders for LPL 2024". ThePapare. 21 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Dambulla Aura Squad - Lanka Premier League, 2023 Squad". ESPNcricinfo. 22 June 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Most career runs". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Highest individual score". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ ESPNcricinfo, Last Updated: 20 December 2021
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