The inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2020) starts on Thursday, November 26, with five teams – Colombo Kings, Dambulla Viikings, Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Stallions and Kandy Tuskers – ready to fight for the title.
The entirety of the tournament will be played at the Sooriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota. Ahead of the commencement of the LPL 2020, here’s everything you need to know about the Dambulla Viikings team.
Dambulla Viikings LPL 2020 Team Preview
Dambulla are a team with a decidedly local strength. Their biggest overseas players are Ireland’s Paul Stirling and Afghanistan star Samiullah Shinwari. In fact, the biggest strength in their side comes from strong local players: Niroshan Dickwella, Upul Tharanga, Oshada Fernando, Dasun Shanaka and Lahiru Kumara forms the spine of the side.
At the outset, Dambulla will not seem like anyone’s favourites for the trophy, given their lack of superstar overseas talent. However, they do have a strong core of local players, both experiene and young rising stars, and if they click, they may well surprise a few of the the more eye-catching teams.
Dambulla Viikings LPL 2020 Squad List
Local players: Dasun Shanaka, Niroshan Dickwella, Lahiru Kumara, Oshada Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Madushanka, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Perera, Ramesh Mendis, Pulina Tharanga, Ashen Bandara, Dilshan Madushanka, Sachindu Colombage, Kavindu Nadeeshan
Overseas players: Samit Patel, Paul Stirling, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Sudeep Tyagi, Aftab Alam, Anwar Ali, Samiullah Shinwari
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Key Overseas Player: Paul Stirling
The Ireland opener Stirling has been around a while now, and will be the leading light of this Dambulla side. In a team that, on the face of it, lacks players who are adept at power-hitting, a facet of the game that’s ever-important in T20s, Stirling will be among the few players who can do that from the off, and lay a strong foundation for Dambulla.
Key Domestic Player: Niroshan Dickwella
Dickwella is perhaps the biggest domestic player in the Dambulla set up. His at times unorthodox, aggressive mode of batting will give the Dambulla batting line-up some impetus, and while at the moment there’s no certainty on who is Dambulla’s captain, Dickwella, from his position behind the stumps, seems like a good candidate for the role.
For the full LPL 2020 fixtures, click here.
For the complete squad list of all LPL 2020 teams, click here.
