The three-time champion Jaffna Kings will play the Colombo Strikers in the tournament’s opening match on Sunday, July 30, at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, kicking off the eagerly anticipated Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023. Notably, the game will be a rematch of the previous season’s LPL championship game, which Jaffna won by two wickets to complete a hat-trick of victories. Thisara Perera, the captain of Jaffna once more, will do everything in his power to help his team win their fourth championship.
They have a number of well-known players on their team, including Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shoaib Mali, David Miller, Chris Lynn, and many others. In contrast, Colombo will be headed by skipper Babar Azam and have prominent players like Pathum Nissanka, Iftikhar Ahmed, Niroshan Dickwella, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, etc. in their squads. The first game between the two star-studded teams is sure to be a tremendous spectacle and set the tone for the rest of the season.
Let us look at three players to watch out for in the first match of the Lanka Premier League:
#3. Mahesh Theekshana
Mahesh Theekshana’s mysterious spin continues to baffle many batters worldwide. This was evident during the ODI World Cup Qualifier held in Zimbabwe earlier this year, where the Sri Lankan leg spinner showcased his skills. The star Sri Lankan leg spinner ended the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker of the competition just one wicket behind his teammate Wanindu Hasaranga. The 22-year-old spin wizard picked up 21 wickets in the eighth innings with an economy of 4.02 and an average of 12.23.
#2 Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana, in his short career, has certainly shown a lot of promise to be among one of the best death-over bowlers. Pathirana will be playing for the first time in the league for Colombo Stars as before this the 20-year-old speedster only played in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the 2023 edition of the IPL playing for CSK, the right arm quickly picked up 21 wickets in the 14 innings at an average of 20.14 and an economy of 7.96
#1 Babar Azam
Babar Azam is one of the current greats of the game who is certainly destined to achieve great heights if he continues to play in the way he is currently playing. It will be the first outing for the Pakistan skipper in the tournament as he was bagged by the Colombo franchise in June this year.
Babar is also handed over the responsibility to lead the Colombo Stars in this edition of the league. The right-hand batter has had a terrific run in the shortest format of the game as he has scored 3485 runs in the 104 matches that he has played on the international level with three centuries to his name.
