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Babar, Miller, Shakib, and Wade to play in the fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League

Babar Azam, David Miller, Shakib Al Hassan and Mathew Wade are some of the prominent names to have been pre-signed by the franchise teams for the upcoming fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023.
Pakistan captain, Babar Azam and speedster Naseem Shah have been signed up by the newly branded ‘Colombo Strikers as their two direct overseas signings, while they will also have Matheesha Pathirana and Chamika Karunaratne as their local signings.
However, it is believed the Pakistan captain is likely to be available partially for LPL since the Men in Green are expected to play a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan during the second week of August.
Australian wicketkeeper batter Mathew Wade will feature for Dambulla Aura alongside Lungi Ngidi in their pre-overseas singings. At the same time, the top run scorer from the last edition of the LPL-Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis are their local signings.
Former national captain Angelo Mathews joins Wanindu Hasaranga at the Kandy Falcons, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fakhar Zaman as their overseas signings.
David Miller will strengthen defending champions Jaffna Kings, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz returning as the second overseas direct signing.
Thisara Perera, the most successful captain in the tournament’s history, takes up one of the local signing slots for Jaffna Kings, along with spinner Maheesh Theekshana.
Shakib Al Hasan and Tabraiz Shamsi have been signed by Galle Gladiators as their direct international signings, while their local signings are Bhanuka Rajapaksa and white ball skipper Dasun Shanaka.
The tournament will be played in three phases, starting in Colombo before moving to Kandy, and heading back to Colombo for the knockout stage.
“The window we have received this year is slightly shorter than last year, so that’s the reason we have decided to play in two venues,” LPL Tournament Director Samantha Dodanwela said.
“There were 500-plus players who registered (on the online registration portal) which clearly indicates the faith that overseas players and player managers have in this tournament.” Dodanwela further added.
Meanwhile, in a significant improvement, this year’s tournament will conduct a player auction for the first time in its history.
The player auction of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 will be held on 11 June, making this only the second franchise competition in the world to have an auction instead of a player draft.
Accordingly, the purse for the franchises will be set at USD 01 million.
According to SLC sources, over 500 names including top players such as Andrew Fletcher, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, and Kerion Pollard have also registered through the online registration portal.
The tournament will feature five teams and will run from 30 July to 20 August at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Pre Signings:
Colombo Strikers: Babar Azam, Matheesha Pathirana. Naseem Shah, Chamika Karunaratne
Dambulla Aura: Mathew Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ngidi, Avishka Fernando
Jaffna Kings: David Miller, Thisara Perera, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Maheesh Theekshana
Kandy Falcons: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga, Fakhar Zaman, Angelo Mathews
Galle Gladiators: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka Rajapaksa
බබාර්, මිලර්, ෂකීබ් සහ වේඩ් සිවුවැනි ලංකා ප්රිමියර් ලීග් තරගාවලියට ක්රීඩා කරයි
බබාර් අසාම්, ඩේවිඩ් මිලර්, ෂකීබ් අල් හසන් සහ මැතිව් වේඩ් 2023 ලංකා ප්රිමියර් ලීග් (එල්පීඑල්) එළැඹෙන සිව්වන සංස්කරණය සඳහා ෆ්රැන්චයිස් කණ්ඩායම් විසින් පූර්ව අත්සන් කර ඇති ප්රමුඛ නම් කිහිපයකි.
පකිස්ථාන නායක බබාර් අසාම් සහ වේග පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක නසීම් ෂා අලුතින් හංවඩු ගසා ඇති ‘කොළඹ ස්ට්රයිකර්ස්’ විසින් ඔවුන්ගේ සෘජු විදේශ ගිවිසුම් දෙක ලෙස අත්සන් කර ඇති අතර, මතීෂ පතිරණ සහ චාමික කරුණාරත්න ඔවුන්ගේ දේශීය ගිවිසුම්කරුවන් ලෙස ද ඇතුළත් වේ.
කෙසේ වෙතත්, අගෝස්තු දෙවන සතියේ දී Men in Green ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථානයට එරෙහිව තරඟ තුනකින් යුත් එක්දින තරඟාවලියක් ක්රීඩා කිරීමට අපේක්ෂා කරන බැවින් පාකිස්තාන නායකයා LPL සඳහා අර්ධ වශයෙන් ලබා ගත හැකි යැයි විශ්වාස කෙරේ.
ඕස්ට්රේලියානු කඩුලු රකින පිතිකරු මැතිව් වේඩ් දඹුල්ල අවුරා වෙනුවෙන් ලුංගි එන්ගිඩි සමඟින් ඔවුන්ගේ පෙර-විදේශ ගායනයේදී ක්රීඩා කරනු ඇත. ඒ අතරම, පසුගිය LPL තරඟාවලියේ වැඩිම ලකුණු ලාභියා – අවිශ්ක ප්රනාන්දු සහ කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් ඔවුන්ගේ දේශීය ගිවිසුම්.
හිටපු ජාතික නායක ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් වනිඳු හසරංග සමඟ මහනුවර ෆැල්කන්ස්හිදී එක්වන අතර, මුජීබ් උර් රහ්මාන් සහ ෆකාර් සමානන් ඔවුන්ගේ විදේශ ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කර ඇත.
ඩේවිඩ් මිලර් විසින් වත්මන් ශූරයන් වන යාපනය කිංග්ස් ශක්තිමත් කරනු ඇති අතර රහ්මානුල්ලා ගුර්බාස් දෙවන විදේශීය සෘජු අත්සන් කිරීම ලෙස නැවත පැමිණේ.
තරඟාවලියේ ඉතිහාසයේ සාර්ථකම නායකයා වන තිසර පෙරේරා, දඟ පන්දු යවන මහීෂ් තීක්ෂණ සමඟින් යාපනය කිංග්ස් සඳහා දේශීය ගිවිසුම් අත්සන් කිරීමේ එක් ස්ථානයක් ගනී.
ෂකීබ් අල් හසන් සහ ටබ්රයිස් ෂම්සි ඔවුන්ගේ සෘජු ජාත්යන්තර ගිවිසුම් ලෙස Galle Gladiators විසින් අත්සන් කර ඇති අතර ඔවුන්ගේ දේශීය ගිවිසුම් භානුක රාජපක්ෂ සහ සුදු පන්දු නායක දසුන් ශානක වේ.
තරගාවලිය අදියර තුනකින් පැවැත්වෙන අතර එය මහනුවරට යාමට පෙර කොළඹින් ආරම්භ වී පිළිමළුන් පිටුදැකීමේ අදියර සඳහා කොළඹ බලා පිටත් වේ.
“මේ වසරේ අපට ලැබී ඇති ජනේලය පසුගිය වසරට වඩා මදක් අඩුයි. ඒ නිසා තමයි අපි ක්රීඩාංගණ දෙකක ක්රීඩා කරන්න තීරණය කළේ,” LPL තරඟාවලියේ අධ්යක්ෂ සමන්ත දොඩන්වෙල මහතා පැවසීය.
“(ඔන්ලයින් ලියාපදිංචි ද්වාරයෙහි) ලියාපදිංචි වූ ක්රීඩකයින් 500කට අධික සංඛ්යාවක් සිටි අතර, මෙම තරඟාවලිය තුළ විදේශීය ක්රීඩකයින් සහ ක්රීඩක කළමනාකරුවන් තබා ඇති විශ්වාසය පැහැදිලිව පෙන්නුම් කරයි.” දොඩන්වෙල වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.
මේ අතර, සැලකිය යුතු දියුණුවක් සහිතව, මෙවර තරගාවලිය එහි ඉතිහාසයේ පළමු වරට ක්රීඩක වෙන්දේසියක් පවත්වනු ඇත.
Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 තරඟාවලියේ ක්රීඩක වෙන්දේසිය ජුනි 11 වන දින පැවැත්වීමට නියමිත අතර, මෙය ක්රීඩකයන්ගේ කෙටුම්පතක් වෙනුවට වෙන්දේසියක් පැවැත්වෙන ලොව දෙවන වරලත් තරඟය බවට පත් වේ.
ඒ අනුව බලයලත් ආයතන සඳහා මුදල් පසුම්බිය ඇමෙරිකානු ඩොලර් මිලියන 01ක් ලෙස නියම කෙරේ.
ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රිකට් ආරංචි මාර්ග පවසන පරිදි ඇන්ඩෲ ෆ්ලෙචර්, කාලෝස් බ්රැත්වේට්, ඩැරන් බ්රාවෝ සහ කෙරියන් පොලාඩ් වැනි ප්රමුඛ පෙළේ ක්රීඩකයින් ඇතුළු 500කට අධික සංඛ්යාවක් ද අන්තර්ජාල ලියාපදිංචි ද්වාරය හරහා ලියාපදිංචි වී ඇත.
මෙම තරඟාවලිය කණ්ඩායම් පහකින් සමන්විත වන අතර ජූලි 30 සිට අගෝස්තු 20 දක්වා R. ප්රේමදාස ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාංගණයේ සහ පල්ලෙකැලේ ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී පැවැත්වේ.
පූර්ව අත්සන් කිරීම්:
කොළඹ ස්ට්රයිකර්ස්: බාබර් අසාම්, මතීෂ පතිරණ. නසීම් ෂා, චාමික කරුණාරත්න
දඹුල්ල අවුරා: මැතිව් වේඩ්, කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්, ලුංගි න්ගිඩි, අවිශ්ක ප්රනාන්දු
යාපනය කිංග්ස්: ඩේවිඩ් මිලර්, තිසර පෙරේරා, රහ්මානුල්ලා ගුර්බාස්, මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ
මහනුවර ෆැල්කන්ස්: මුජීබ් උර් රහ්මාන්, වනිඳු හසරංග, ෆකාර් සමාන්, ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස්
Galle Gladiators: Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, Tabraiz Shamsi, Bhanuka රාජපක්ෂ
பாபர், மில்லர், ஷகிப் மற்றும் வேட் ஆகியோர் லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக்கின் நான்காவது பதிப்பில் விளையாட உள்ளனர்
பாபர் அசாம், டேவிட் மில்லர், ஷாகிப் அல் ஹசன் மற்றும் மேத்யூ வேட் ஆகியோர் லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக் (LPL) 2023 இன் வரவிருக்கும் நான்காவது பதிப்பிற்காக உரிமையாளர் அணிகளால் முன் கையொப்பமிடப்பட்ட சில முக்கிய பெயர்கள்.
பாகிஸ்தான் அணித்தலைவர் பாபர் அஸாம் மற்றும் வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் நசீம் ஷா ஆகியோர் புதிதாக முத்திரையிடப்பட்ட ‘கொழும்பு ஸ்டிரைக்கர்ஸ் அவர்களின் இரண்டு நேரடி வெளிநாட்டு ஒப்பந்தங்களாக ஒப்பந்தம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர், அதே சமயம் அவர்கள் மதீஷ பத்திரன மற்றும் சாமிக்க கருணாரத்ன ஆகியோரையும் உள்ளூர் ஒப்பந்தங்களாகக் கொண்டுள்ளனர்.
இருப்பினும், ஆகஸ்ட் இரண்டாவது வாரத்தில் மென் இன் கிரீன் ஆப்கானிஸ்தானுக்கு எதிராக மூன்று போட்டிகள் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் தொடரில் விளையாடும் என எதிர்பார்க்கப்படுவதால், பாகிஸ்தான் கேப்டன் எல்பிஎல்-க்கு ஓரளவு கிடைக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளதாக நம்பப்படுகிறது.
ஆஸ்திரேலிய விக்கெட் கீப்பர் பேட்டர் மேத்யூ வேட், தம்புல்லா ஆராவுக்காக லுங்கி என்கிடியுடன் வெளிநாட்டுக்கு முந்தைய பாடல்களில் இடம்பெறுவார். அதே நேரத்தில், LPL-ன் கடைசிப் பதிப்பில் அதிக ரன்கள் எடுத்தவர்கள்-அவிஷ்கா பெர்னாண்டோ மற்றும் குசல் மெண்டிஸ் அவர்களின் உள்ளூர் ஒப்பந்தங்கள்.
முன்னாள் தேசிய அணித்தலைவர் ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ் வனிந்து ஹசரங்கவுடன் கண்டி ஃபால்கன்ஸில் இணைந்தார், முஜீப் உர் ரஹ்மான் மற்றும் ஃபகார் ஜமான் ஆகியோர் வெளிநாட்டு ஒப்பந்தங்களாக உள்ளனர்.
டேவிட் மில்லர் நடப்பு சாம்பியன்களான யாழ் கிங்ஸை பலப்படுத்துவார், ரஹ்மானுல்லா குர்பாஸ் இரண்டாவது வெளிநாட்டு நேரடி ஒப்பந்தமாக திரும்புவார்.
போட்டியின் வரலாற்றில் மிகவும் வெற்றிகரமான கேப்டனான திசர பெரேரா, சுழற்பந்து வீச்சாளர் மஹீஷ் தீக்ஷனாவுடன் இணைந்து யாழ்ப்பாண கிங்ஸ் அணிக்காக உள்ளூர் கையொப்பமிடும் இடங்களில் ஒன்றை எடுத்துக்கொள்கிறார்.
ஷகிப் அல் ஹசன் மற்றும் தப்ரைஸ் ஷம்சி ஆகியோர் காலி கிளாடியேட்டர்ஸால் நேரடியாக சர்வதேச ஒப்பந்தங்களாக ஒப்பந்தம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர், அதே நேரத்தில் அவர்களின் உள்ளூர் கையொப்பங்கள் பானுகா ராஜபக்ஷ மற்றும் வெள்ளை பந்து கேப்டன் தசுன் ஷனகா.
போட்டிகள் மூன்று கட்டங்களாக விளையாடப்படும், கண்டிக்கு செல்வதற்கு முன் கொழும்பில் தொடங்கி, நாக் அவுட் நிலைக்கு கொழும்பு திரும்பும்.
“கடந்த ஆண்டை விட இந்த ஆண்டு எங்களுக்கு கிடைத்த சாளரம் சற்று குறைவாக உள்ளது, எனவே நாங்கள் இரண்டு மைதானங்களில் விளையாட முடிவு செய்துள்ளோம்” என்று LPL போட்டியின் இயக்குனர் சமந்த தொடன்வெல கூறினார்.
“500-க்கும் மேற்பட்ட வீரர்கள் பதிவுசெய்துள்ளனர் (ஆன்லைன் பதிவு போர்ட்டலில்) இது இந்த போட்டியில் வெளிநாட்டு வீரர்கள் மற்றும் வீரர் மேலாளர்கள் வைத்திருக்கும் நம்பிக்கையை தெளிவாகக் குறிக்கிறது.” தொடன்வெல மேலும் தெரிவித்தார்.
இதற்கிடையில், குறிப்பிடத்தக்க முன்னேற்றத்தில், இந்த ஆண்டு போட்டி வரலாற்றில் முதல் முறையாக வீரர்கள் ஏலம் நடத்தப்படும்.
லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக் (LPL) 2023 இன் வீரர்கள் ஏலம் ஜூன் 11 ஆம் தேதி நடைபெறும், இது உலகின் இரண்டாவது உரிமையாளரின் போட்டியாக, வீரர் வரைவுக்குப் பதிலாக ஏலம் விடப்பட்டது.
அதன்படி, உரிமையாளர்களுக்கான பர்ஸ் 01 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டாலர்களாக அமைக்கப்படும்.
SLC ஆதாரங்களின்படி, ஆண்ட்ரூ பிளெட்சர், கார்லோஸ் பிராத்வைட், டேரன் பிராவோ மற்றும் கெரியன் பொல்லார்ட் போன்ற முன்னணி வீரர்கள் உட்பட 500 க்கும் மேற்பட்ட பெயர்கள் ஆன்லைன் பதிவு போர்டல் மூலம் பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளன.
ஐந்து அணிகள் பங்கேற்கும் இந்தப் போட்டியானது ஜூலை 30 முதல் ஆகஸ்ட் 20 வரை ஆர்.பிரேமதாச சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட் மைதானம் மற்றும் பல்லேகல சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட் மைதானத்தில் நடைபெறும்.
முன் கையொப்பங்கள்:
கொழும்பு ஸ்டிரைக்கர்ஸ்: பாபர் அசம், மதீஷா பத்திரனா. நசீம் ஷா, சாமிக்க கருணாரத்ன
தம்புள்ளை ஆரா: மேத்யூ வேட், குசல் மெண்டிஸ், லுங்கி என்கிடி, அவிஷ்க பெர்னாண்டோ
யாழ்ப்பாண கிங்ஸ்: டேவிட் மில்லர், திசர பெரேரா, ரஹ்மானுல்லா குர்பாஸ், மஹீஷ் தீக்ஷனா
கண்டி ஃபால்கன்ஸ்: முஜீப் உர் ரஹ்மான், வனிந்து ஹசரங்க, ஃபகார் ஜமான், ஏஞ்சலோ மேத்யூஸ்
காலி கிளாடியேட்டர்கள்: ஷகிப் அல் ஹசன், தசுன் ஷனகா, தப்ரைஸ் ஷம்சி, பானுகா ராஜபக்ஷ
Football
Stafford vs. Colombo International: The Second Edition of the Big Match Kicks Off!
Football fever returns as Stafford International School and Colombo International School gear up for the second edition of their highly anticipated Big Match! This year, the rivalry intensifies with four matches across different age and gender categories:
✅ U15 Girls
✅ U15 Boys
✅ U20 Girls
✅ U20 Boys
🏆 Stafford International’s Rising Stars:
- U15 Girls: Defending TISSL U14 and Colombo SLSFA District champions, featuring standout players like Keshalee Ranatunga and Sonja Ratanayake (just 10 years old!).
- U15 Boys: All-Island U14 runners-up out of 462 schools, led by goalkeeper Yash Amarasekara, who was named Best U14 GK in Sri Lanka.
- U20 Girls & Boys: Both teams finished as TISSL runners-up, boasting stars like Raya Rikaz, Yumna Safraz, Adnaan Ameen, and Nidurshan Mohan.
🏆 Colombo International’s Key Players:
- U15 Girls: TISSL U16 runners-up, featuring top defender Khadeeja Niyas and striker Ozra.
- U20 Girls: TISSL U20 runners-up, with Fioni Dedhia named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
- U20 Boys: Defending Big Match champions, looking to retain their title behind stars like Krishwen and Habib.
👀 Who will come out on top this time? Watch the action LIVE at the link below! 🎥👇
#BigMatch2025 #SchoolFootball #SriLankaFootball #StaffordVsCIS #RivalryRenewed
Cricket
Shammi Silva Re-Elected as Sri Lanka Cricket President for Fourth Consecutive Term
Shammi Silva has been re-elected as the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president for the 2025-27 term, marking his fourth consecutive tenure at the helm of the nation’s cricket governing body. Silva secured the position uncontested at the 64th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Colombo on Monday.
A Controversial Yet Dominant Tenure
Silva’s leadership has not been without controversy. His previous term saw a high-profile clash with former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in 2023, which led to an interim committee being appointed after Sri Lanka’s poor performance in the ICC ODI World Cup. This move resulted in ICC suspending SLC, which led to Sri Lanka losing the hosting rights for the U19 Men’s World Cup, which was later held in South Africa.
Despite these setbacks, Silva regained control after a court ruling reinstated his administration, and he was later appointed as the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in December 2023, replacing Jay Shah.
Challenges & Future Outlook
Sri Lanka Cricket has long been seen as a powerful and influential body, with internal politics often shaping its leadership. With financial mismanagement concerns highlighted in the Auditor General’s report, Silva’s administration faces the challenge of restoring credibility and ensuring better governance.
With the ICC ban lifted, Sri Lanka looks to rebuild its cricketing structure and improve performance on the international stage. The focus now shifts to upcoming bilateral series, the Asia Cup, and preparations for the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Stay tuned for more updates on Sri Lanka Cricket and the latest in the world of sports!
Cricket
Stephen Fleming Defends MS Dhoni’s Batting Position Amid Criticism
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has defended MS Dhoni’s late entry in the batting order, stating that the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman cannot play an extended innings at full intensity due to lingering knee concerns.
The 43-year-old Dhoni faced criticism after coming in at No. 9 during CSK’s 50-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk. In the next match against Rajasthan Royals on March 30, 2025, he batted at No. 7 when CSK required 54 off 25 balls but managed just 16 off 11 as his team fell short by six runs.
Fleming’s Explanation on Dhoni’s Role
Fleming emphasized that Dhoni carefully assesses the match situation before deciding when to bat.
“It’s all about timing. MS judges his body and situation. His knees aren’t what they used to be, so he can’t bat for 10 overs at full intensity. He will step in based on the game’s demands,” Fleming explained at the post-match press conference.
The CSK coach reiterated that Dhoni remains too valuable to the team for his leadership and wicketkeeping and that sending him in too early could be a strategic misstep.
“From around the 13th or 14th over, he assesses the situation and decides. He trusts other batters early on but steps up when needed.”
CSK’s Struggles in the Powerplay Cost Them the Match
Fleming also pinpointed CSK’s poor powerplay performance as a key reason for their loss against Rajasthan Royals. While RR blasted 79/1 in the powerplay, CSK only managed 42/1,
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