LPL 2022 to begin from August 1, Jaffna Kings to face Galle Gladiators in tournament opener
The third edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) will commence on August 01, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Tuesday. Of the 24 games in the tournament, 20 will be first-round matches, while the remaining four are knockout ones, including the final.
The tournament opener will be between the defending champions Jaffna Kings and Galle Gladiators, who lost in the final last year. Colombo will host the first 14 fixtures while the caravan moves to Hambantota on August 13, 2022.
Full schedule Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022:
Lanka Premier League 2022 will commence on the 1st August 2022 with Jaffna Kings, the reigning champions taking on Galle Gladiators, who were the runner up of the year 2021 edition. #LPL2022
Full Schedule ⬇️
srilankacricket.lk/2022/07/lpl-20…
Notably, Jaffna Kings have won both editions of the competition. Strikingly, Galle Gladiators have also reached the finals on two occasions and tasted convincing defeats. Captained by all-rounder Thisara Perera, Jaffna beat the opposition by 53 and 23 runs in 2020 and 2021, respectively, to clinch the title.
Wanindu Hasaranga to lead Kandy Falcons in LPL 2022
Ahead of the third edition of the T20 competition, several local players have moved their bases in the draft, including Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Dhananjaya de Silva and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.
Premier leg-spinner Hasranga has been appointed as the skipper of the Kandy Falcons for the upcoming season. They have also roped in Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka.
Kandy have announced Wanindu Hasaranga as their captain for LPL. https://t.co/tQ6QdOv0h0
This year's LPL comes amid a packed home schedule for Sri Lanka's international players following the home series against Pakistan and Australia.
The second Test against Pakistan ends on August 28 in Colombo and will precede the Asia Cup, which will take place in September before the T20 World Cup. The marquee competition will take place in Australia in October-November.
Sri Lanka, who lifted their maiden T20 World Cup in 2014, will play the qualifiers of the competition. The other teams alongside Sri Lanka to play the qualifiers are the West Indies, Namibia, Scotland, Ireland, and the UAE.
Nevertheless, the 2014 T20 World Cup champions will be confident of qualifying for the main draw after their encouraging performance in the previous edition.