The much-anticipated Sri Lanka club cricket season for the 2015/16 season will begin on 27th November with the commencement of the Premier Limited Overs Tournament.
Some of the clubs will be sans their skippers due to the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand and Bangladesh Premier League which runs concurrently with the Lankan one-day tournament.
We at ThePapare.com unveil the 14 captain’s playing in the top club competition in the island.
Army SC – Manjula De Zoysa
The 32-year old batting all-rounder has been bestowed with the responsibility of leading the Soldiers this season. With over 90 first-class games, right-handed De Zoysa has a batting average of just below 30 while capturing 42 scalps with his right-arm off-breaks. Last season he scored 404 runs in 9 games for Army SC.
Colts CC – Angelo Mathews
The national ODI & Test skipper has been officially named the captain of Colts Cricket Club but due to national commitments, Mathews will be rarely representing his club team this season. In Angelo’s absence, Nuwan Kulasekara or Dilruwan Perera will be leading the ‘Park Club’ team.
CCC – Sachith Pathirana
A Talented all-rounder who donned the Sri Lanka jersey this year after a successful 2014/15 season with Colts Cricket Club but this time around he will be leading a rejuvenated Colombo Cricket Club outfit. The 26-year old left-arm spinner and left-handed middle order batsman started his domestic career at CCC. He has previously led Trinity College and Sri Lanka under 19s.
Bloomfield C & AC – Dilshan Munaweera
The hard-hitting opener will not be leading his club team during the one-day tournament as he is representing Sylhet Super Stars in the BPL 2015 but he is expected to take over the reins from Madawa Warnapura when he returns in the latter part of December. He has amassed over 3000 first-class runs throughout his 7 years of domestic cricket.
NCC – Farveez Maharoof
One of the most underrated all-rounders of this generation, Farveez Maharoof will be looking to kick-start his international career once again through leading Nondescript Cricket Club this season. His leadership qualities and international experiences will be the key to NCC’s campaign this season.
SSC – Dhammika Prasad
The spearhead of Sri Lanka Test bowling unit, Dhammika Prasad will be busy with his national commitments throughout the season but will most likely to feature at some point in the season. Kaushal Silva or Thilina Kandamby will lead the strong Sinhalese Sports Club team in his absence.
Chilaw Marians CC – Bhanuka Rajapakse
Former Royal College skipper has moved to Chilaw Marians Cricket Club this season after an average season with Colts Cricket Club last year. His experience of 39 first-class matches and 75 List A games will most certainly come in handy for his new club. The left-handed batsman has also represented Sri Lanka under 19s and Sri Lanka A.
Ragama CC – Lahiru Thirimanne
The stylish left-hander had a horrid run with the Test team recently which made the selectors drop him from the New Zealand series. Currently playing for Dhaka Dynamites at BPL, Thirimanne will need to prove his worth to the selectors with a strong domestic season for the team from Ragama.
Baduruliya CC – Milinda Siriwardana
The rising star of Sri Lanka Cricket, Siriwardana was the top player during the 2014/15 season leading Badureliya CC to their first-ever SLC T20 title. He had a memorable season scoring 1144 runs in 10 matches which prompted him to be a regular member for his country in all three formats. Siriwardana’s shoes will be filled by former Sri Lanka U19 player, Imesh Udayanga.
Sri Lanka Ports Authority SC – Ashan Priyanjan
The defending SLC Premier League champions will be led by dynamic middle-order batsman Ashan Priyanjan. He had a lean patch in 2015 and was dropped from the Sri Lanka ODI setup. He captained the Sri Lanka A tour of New Zealand recently but failed to impress the national selectors. The 26-year old former Nalandian will need to score heavily this season in order to regain his place in the Sri Lanka team.
Moors SC – Dilhara Lokuhettige
The 35-year old fast-bowling all-rounder was one of the first Sri Lankan cricketers to be labelled as T20 specialists but he has played over 140 first-class games since his first-class debut way back in 2000/01. One of the most experienced players still to play professional cricket in Sri Lanka will lead a strong Moors lineup.
Galle CC – Suraj Randiv
The tall right-arm off-spinner has moved to the newly-promoted Galle Cricket Club after several successful seasons with Bloomfield C & AC. With over 500 first-class wickets, Randiv will be representing Galle CC for the first-time. Recently he has showed great prowess with both bat and ball.
Tamil Union C & AC – Suranga Lakmal
The lanky right-arm swing bowler will not be playing much domestic cricket this season as he is back in top form with the Sri Lanka team. The 28-year old has taken 188 first-class wickets and 170 List A wickets during his 7 years of club cricket.
Saracens SC – Harsha Cooray
Former Lumbini College wicket-keeper batsman has returned to the club where he made his first-class debut 10 years ago. Last season, Cooray represented Moors Sports Club and made close to 400 runs in 9 matches. He possesses a vast experience of 93 first-class matches and 36 List A games.
