Dambulla Aura team. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The much-awaited Lanka Premier League 2023 auction was held at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo on Wednesday, June 14. Notably, it was the first-ever auction of the T20 extravaganza that’s about to hold its fourth season. A total of 360 players both capped and uncapped went under the hammer out of which 156 were overseas cricketers while 204 were domestic players. The LPL 2023 will be played in its original window for the first time since Covid-19 and will take place from July 31 to August 22.
The league was founded in 2018 by Sri Lanka Cricket and has five teams contesting for the coveted title. Jaffna Stallions were the champions of the inaugural edition of the tournament as they beat Galle Gladiators by 53 runs in the final. Jaffna Kings went on to win the next two editions as well.
Dambulla Aura didn’t have a great season last time led by Dasun Shanaka as they finished in the last spot (fifth) and failed to qualify for the knockouts. Under Shanaka’s leadership, they finished in the fourth spot in the 2021 edition and got knocked out in Qualifier 2. In the inaugural edition as well, they managed to reach the semi-final and got beaten by Jaffna Kings by 23 runs.
After failing to qualify in the previous edition, they will be eager to finish in the top four in the upcoming season.
Dambulla Aura Final Squad:
Mathew Wade, Kusal Mendis, Lungi Ndidi, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Hayden Kerr, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Binura Fernando, Noor Ahmad, Sachitha Jayathilaka, Janith Liyanage, Dushan Hemantha, Pramod Madushan, Shanawaz Dasani, Lakshan Edirisinghe, Jehan Daniel, Wanuja Sahan, Kavidu Pathirathna, Ravindu Fernando, Alex Ross, Treveen Mathew, Manelker de Silva, Praveen Jayawickrama
Dambulla Aura Pre-Registered Players
ROLE
Matthew Wade
Wicketkeeper Batter
Kusal Mendis
Batter
Lungi Ngidi
Right-arm Fast bowler
Avishka Fernando
Opening Batter
Dambulla Aura (DBA) Team 2023 players list:
PLAYER
ROLE
PRICE
Dhanjaya De Silva
Batter
$76000
Kusal Perera
Wicketkeeper Batter
$40,000
Hayden Kerr
All Rounder
$20000
Sadeera Samarawickrama
Wicket-keeper batter
$68000
Binura Fernando
Fast Bowler
$76000
Noor Ahmad
Left-arm Wrist Spinner
$50,000
Sachitha Jayathilaka
All-rounder
$5000
Janith Liyanage
Batter
$10000
Dushan Hemantha
All Rounder
$20000
Pramod Madushan
Fast Bowler
$34000
Shanawaz Dahani
Fast Bowler
$20000
Lakshan Edirisinghe
Batter
$5000
Jehan Daniel
Batter
$5000
Wanuja Sahan
All Rounder
$5000
Kavidu Pathirathna
Seamer
$5000
Ravindu Fernando
All Rounder
$5000
Alex Ross
Batter
$20000
Treveen Mathew
Spinner
$7000
Manelker de Silva
All Rounder
$5000
Praveen Jayawickrama
Left-arm spinner
$20000