Jaffna Kings
Jaffna based franchise cricket team of the Lanka Premier League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jaffna Kings (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணம் கிங்ஸ்), formerly known as Jaffna Stallions, is a Sri Lankan franchise cricket team which plays in the Lanka Premier League (LPL). The Kings are the current title holders of the tournament.
| ||
| Nickname | Kings of The North | |
|---|---|---|
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Charith Asalanka | |
| Coach | Avishka Gunawardene | |
| Owner | Subaskaran Allirajah (Lyca Group) | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Colours | Blue Gold | |
| Founded | 2020: Jaffna Stallions 2021: Jaffna Kings | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 4 (2020, 2021, 2022, 2024) | |
| ||
The team was coached by former Sri Lankan captain Thilina Kandamby.[1] Thisara Perera was the team's captain for the first four seasons.[2]
Franchise history
2020 season
The team was owned by a consortium consisting of Sri Lankans and Indians from all over the world including Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, and the USA.[3] Arnold Anandan and Rahul Sood, creator of Microsoft Ventures M12, were leading the consortium of tech industry leaders from the Pacific Northwest and Silicon Valley.[4][5] Among others, Rahul Sood was cited as a tech leader from the Seattle area who is investing in cricket, where the Jaffna Stallions also announced a global education partnership with Code.org.[6] As part of their outreach to the country of Sri Lanka the Jaffna Stallions released a song in partnership with famous artists La Signore, aka Lahiru Perera, and Dinesh Gamage, the song contains lyrics in both Sinhalese and Tamil and it's now trending at the top of the charts in Sri Lanka.[7][8]
On 16 December 2020, the team won the inaugural Lanka Premier League Championship.[9] The team captain Thisara Perera and Shoaib Malik both played pivotal roles in the win.[10]
2021 season
In July 2021, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) terminated the franchise ahead of the 2021 Lanka Premier League due to financial issues.[11] In September 2021, the team changed its name to Jaffna Kings after Lyca Group took over the ownership.[12]
2022 season
2023 season
2024 season
2025 season
In April 2025, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced that franchise owners Lyca Group had been terminated ahead of the 2025 Lanka Premier League due to their failure to fulfill the obligations of a team owner in the Lanka Premier League.[13]
Current squad
- Sources: ESPNcricinfo,[14] ThePapare.com[15]
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary (US$) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| 28 | Avishka Fernando |  Sri Lanka |
5 April 1998 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| 18 | Pathum Nissanka | Sri Lanka |
18 May 1998 | Right-handed | N/a | 2024 | 40,000 | |
| 49 | Alex Ross |  Australia |
17 April 1992 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 20,000 | Overseas |
| 32 | Rilee Rossouw |  South Africa |
9 October 1989 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 60,000 | Overseas |
| Ahan Wickramasinghe | Sri Lanka |
2 September 2001 | Right-handed | N/a | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 97 | Fabian Allen |  West Indies |
7 May 1995 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 32,000 | Overseas |
| 72 | Charith Asalanka | Sri Lanka |
29 June 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2023 | Retained | Captain |
| 75 | Dhananjaya de Silva | Sri Lanka |
6 September 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 50,000 | |
| 77 | Azmatullah Omarzai |  Afghanistan |
24 March 2000 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Wanuja Sahan | Sri Lanka |
17 June 2003 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 10,000 | ||
| Lahiru Samarakoon | Sri Lanka |
3 March 1997 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| Nishan Madushka | Sri Lanka |
10 September 1999 | Right-handed | N/a | 2024 | 10,000 | ||
| 13 | Kusal Mendis | Sri Lanka |
2 February 1995 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2024 | Direct signing | |
| Vishad Randika | Sri Lanka |
2 September 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| Murvin Abinash | Sri Lanka |
18 June 2000 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| 15 | Tabraiz Shamsi | South Africa |
18 February 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm unorthodox spin | 2024 | Direct signing | Overseas |
| Theesan Vithushan | Sri Lanka |
2 May 2001 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| 26 | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | Sri Lanka |
5 December 2001 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | 2023 | Retained | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| 65 | Jason Behrendorff | Australia |
20 April 1990 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 50,000 | Overseas |
| Asitha Fernando | Sri Lanka |
31 July 1997 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 40,000 | ||
| 40 | Pramod Madushan | Sri Lanka |
14 December 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 20,000 | |
| Eshan Malinga | Sri Lanka |
4 February 2001 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | 2024 | 13,000 | ||
| Arul Pragasam | Sri Lanka |
6 November 1993 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
| Nisala Tharaka | Sri Lanka |
20 April 1991 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2024 | 5,000 | ||
Administration and support staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Director | Ganeshan Vaheesan |
| Manager | Charinda Fernando |
| Head coach | Avishka Gunawardene |
| Assistant coach | Mario Villavarayan |
| Assistant coach | Hemang Badani |
| Batting coach | Jehan Mubarak |
| Bowling coach | Sachith Pathirana |
| Fielding coach | Vimukthi Deshapriya |
History
| Season | Head coach | Assistant coach |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Thilina Kandamby |
Mario Villavarayan |
| 2021 | ||
| 2022 | ||
| 2023 | ||
| 2024 | Avishka Gunawardene |
Seasons
Statistics
By season
- Source: ESPNcricinfo[16]
Individual records
Captains
| No. | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thisara Perera | 2020 | 2023 | 45 | 28 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 61.64 |
| 2 | Charith Asalanka | 2024 | present | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 63.63 |
Most runs
- As of 13 May 2025
| Runs | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 1300 | Avishka Fernando | 2020–2022; 2024 |
| 674 | Shoaib Malik | 2020–2023 |
| 640 | Thisara Perera | 2020–2023 |
| 607 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 2021–2023 |
| 389 | Rilee Rossouw | 2024 |
- Source: CricInfo[17]
Highest individual score
- As of 19 August 2023
| Runs | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | Avishka Fernando | Dambulla Giants | Hambantota | 21 December 2021 |
| 97* | Thisara Perera | Dambulla Viiking | 30 November 2020 | |
| 92* | Avishka Fernando | Galle Gladiators | 27 November 2020 | |
| 92 | Tom Kohler-Cadmore | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 16 December 2021 |
| 84 | Avishka Fernando | Galle Gladiators | Hambantota | 3 December 2020 |
- Source: CricInfo[18]
Most career wickets
- As of 19 August 2023
| Wickets | Player | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Maheesh Theekshana | 2020–2023 |
| 28 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 2020–2021 |
| 22 | Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | 2020–2023 |
| 16 | Dunith Wellalage | 2022–2023 |
| 15 | Multiple players | |
- Source: CricInfo[19]
Best figures in an innings
- As of 19 August 2023
| Figures | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/10 | Dunith Wellalage | Galle Titans | Pallekele | 4 August 2023 |
| 4/13 | Jayden Seales | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 16 December 2021 |
| 4/16 | Chathuranga de Silva | Dambulla Giants | 13 December 2021 | |
| 4/22 | Binura Fernando | Dambulla Aura | Pallekele | 11 December 2022 |
| 4/25 | Maheesh Theekshana | Colombo Stars | Colombo | 10 December 2021 |
- Source: CricInfo[20]
Team identity
Anthem
| Year | Anthem | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Vaadaa Machan | Lahiru Perera, Dinesh Gamage |
| 2022 | Adidaa Macha | Hana Shafa, Satheeshan, Krish Manoj |
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding | Sleeve branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Jura Trading | BBK Partnership | Code.org | Zestige, Pro You™ | |
| 2021 | Lyca Mobile | Cycle Incense | NLB | Cycle Incense | |
| 2022 | SkyExch | N/a | Lyca Mobile | ||
| 2023 | 1xBet | Wolf777 | Batbricks7 | SBC TV, Lyca Mobile | |
| 2024 | MelBat | MGlion News | N/a | Monara TV, Jumbo365 | |