Kandy Royals
Kandy based franchise cricket team of the Lanka Premier League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kandy Royals, formerly known as Kandy Falcons (in 2022 and 2024) B-Love Kandy (2023), Kandy Warriors (2021), and Kandy Tuskers (2020), is a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team founded in 2020 that competes in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), representing the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka.
| League | Lanka Premier League | |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Captain | Wanindu Hasaranga | |
| Coach | Chaminda Vaas[1] | |
| Team information | ||
| City | Kandy, Central Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Colors | Red | |
| Founded | 2020: Kandy Tuskers 2021: Kandy Warriors 2022 & 2024: Kandy Falcons 2023: B-Love Kandy 2026: Kandy Royals | |
| Home ground | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy | |
| Capacity | 35,000 | |
| History | ||
| LPL wins | 1 | |
| ||
Franchise History
2020 season
Chris Gayle signed up as the Marquee Overseas player and Kusal Perera as the Local Icon player for the inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League. [2][3]
2021 season
In October 2021, the team changed their name to Kandy Warriors after changing owners.[4]
2022 season
The team underwent three ownership and name changes in as many years. They further changed their name to Kandy Falcons in 2022.[5] The team signed Wanindu Hasaranga as part of the pre-draft signing.[6] Four West Indian players, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas and Andre Fletcher were drafted in for the franchise later.[7]
2023 season
In 2023, prior to the LPL auction, the franchise was bought by the B-Love network led by Omar Khan.[8] With the new ownership, the name of the Kandy franchise was changed to B-Love Kandy. In that season, the Kandy franchise won its maiden Lanka Premier League title.[9]
2024 season
Sri Lanka Cricket severed the contract with B-Love Kandy in May 2024 citing breaches of contractual obligations. Management of the team passed on to the tournament organisers, the IPG Group. The franchisee B-Love Network is a Dubai-based cryptocurrency business.[10] However, B-Love Kandy participated in the player auction two days later.[11]
2026 season
In May 2026, the franchise was bought by Sandhya Ajjarapu, a US-based investor and entrepreneur, and the franchise rebranded as Kandy Royals under new ownership.[12] Angelo Mathews, Moeen Ali, Vijay Shankar and Wanindu Hasaranga were signed as pre-draft signings.
Current squad
- Sources: ESPNcricinfo,[13] ThePapare.com[14]
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
- denotes a player who was unavailable for rest of the season.
| No. | Name | Nationality | Date of birth (age) | Batting style | Bowling style | Year signed | Salary (US$) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | ||||||||
| Vishen Halambage |  Sri Lanka |
19 January 2005 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2026 | 20,000 | ||
| Muditha Lakshan | Sri Lanka |
20 December 2000 | Right handed | Slow left arm Orthodox | 2026 | 20,000 | ||
| Dale Phillips |  New Zealand |
15 October 1998 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 20,000 | Overseas | |
| Pavan Sandesh | Sri Lanka |
21 November 2003 | Right handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 10,000 | ||
| Wicket-keepers | ||||||||
| 32 | Lahiru Udara | Sri Lanka |
27 November 1993 | Right handed | N/a | 2026 | 20,000 | |
| 55 | Kusal Perera | Sri Lanka |
7 August 1990 | Left handed | N/a | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| 21 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz |  Afghanistan |
28 November 2001 | Right handed | 50,000 | 2026 | Overseas | |
| All-rounders | ||||||||
| 18 | Moeen Ali |  England |
18 June 1987 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | 2026 | 80,000 | Overseas |
| 49 | Wanindu Hasaranga | Sri Lanka |
29 July 1997 | Right handed | Right-arm leg break | 2026 | 80,000 | Captain |
| 69 | Angelo Mathews | Sri Lanka |
2 June 1987 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 60,000 | |
| 95 | Daniel Sams |  Australia |
27 October 1992 | Right handed | Left arm Fast medium | 2026 | 30,000 | Overseas |
| Brandon McMullen |  Scotland |
18 October 1999 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 15,000 | Overseas | |
| 59 | Vijay Shankar |  India |
26 January 1991 | Right handed | Right-arm medium | 2026 | 60,000 | Overseas |
| 34 | Dushan Hemantha | Sri Lanka |
24 May 1994 | Right handed | Right arm Leg break | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| Spin bowlers | ||||||||
| Zahir Khan | Afghanistan |
20 December 1998 | Left handed | Left-arm unorthodox spin | 2026 | 20,000 | Overseas | |
| Pace bowlers | ||||||||
| 78 | Asitha Fernando | Sri Lanka |
31 July 1997 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 30,000 | |
| Isitha Wijesundara | Sri Lanka |
11 May 1997 | Left handed | Right-arm Fast medium | 2026 | 20,000 | ||
| Sahan Mihira | Sri Lanka |
1 May 2004 | Right handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 10,000 | ||
| Garuka Sanketh | Sri Lanka |
30 May 2005 | Left handed | Right-arm medium fast | 2026 | 30,000 | ||
| 53 | Nuwan Thushara | Sri Lanka |
6 August 1994 | Right handed | Right-arm medium-fast | 2026 | 50,000 | |
Seasons
Captains
| No. | Player | From | To | Mat | Won | Lost | Tied | NR | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kusal Perera | 2020 | 2020 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31.25 |
| 2 | Angelo Perera | 2021 | 2021 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| 3 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 2022 | 2024 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 68.42 |
| 4 | Angelo Mathews | 2023 | present | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
Source: ESPNcricinfo, Last updated: 18 December 2021
Administration and support staff
Coaching history
| Season | Head coach | Assistant coach |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Hashan Tillakaratne |
|
| 2021 | Lalchand Rajput |
Ruvin Peiris |
| 2022 | Piyal Wijetunge |
Tharanga Dhammika |
| 2023 |  Mushtaq Ahmed |
Piyal Wijetunge |
| 2024 | ||
| 2026 | Chaminda Vaas |
Team identity
Anthem
| Year | Anthem | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Isuru Withanage, Shanthi Sri, Gayana Lewke, Chan Chan | |
| 2023 | Isuru Withanage, Ishari Munasingha, Chan Chan, Jay DC | |
| 2024 | Isuru Withanage, Chan Chan, Shanthi Sri |
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
| Year | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Chest branding | Sleeve branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | JAT Paints | — | WHITE by JAT | ||
| 2021 | FairPlay News | Safexpay | N/a | Vernost Marketing, Vivandi | |
| 2022 | Speed Sports | MazaPlay | N/a | ||
| 2023 | BFICoin | Super11 | Time2Travel, Bulleto | ||
| 2024 | SPD Clothing | — | |||
