The tier ‘A’ segment of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) domestic tournament will kick off on Friday, the 1st December, with the best players in the local club arena ready to make their names. Here’s a look at some of the crucial transfers that have taken place ahead of a long season.
Know your ‘Tier A’ Club Captains 2017/18
As the SLC Premier League Tournament 2017/18 is set to begin..
Milinda Siriwardena- The stylish left-handed batting all-rounder has had a rough time in the national set up with not many runs nor wickets under his name. He hit over 500 runs in 7 matches during the Premier League Tier “A” Tournament turning up for Saracens Sports Club last season, but has made the switch to the strong SSC outfit this season.
Mahela Udawatte- An explosive top order batsman by nature, Udawatte was in stunning form for Chilaw Marians last season, making 699 runs at an average of just under 40. He hit 8 half centuries in 10 games and would have liked to convert them into more substantial scores, but his good run of form earned him a call up for Sri Lanka Cricket’s T20I leg of the Pakistan tour, where he failed to impress. In a rather surprising move, he will feature in a strong NCC batting line up this season and will look for a big season to have another crack at the highest level.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa- A man who was always tipped to make it to the biggest stage has so far failed to live up to his reputation. He had a very quiet Premier League last season scoring just 2 half centuries in 7 matches, but found some form towards the latter part of the season in the domestic list A and Provincial tournaments. He will also turn up for NCC this season after he made the switch from BRC.
Chamika Karunaratne- This is another man who has been added to the strong NCC outfit and might be an ideal candidate for the fast bowling all-rounder slot. He impressed with both bat and ball for Tamil Union last season when hit close to 400 runs and picked up 20 wickets. His consistent performances earned him a place in the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team which toured West Indies, and he will look to build on his reputation as a strong fast bowling all-rounder, a valuable commodity in International Cricket.
Suraj Randiv – The now discarded, once lead off spinner for Sri Lanka, Randiv will try his luck in more spin-friendly conditions, when he turns up for BRC this season. He had a decent run with Saracens SC picking up 39 wickets and making over 200 runs last season, but probably felt unsettled with his previous club having no home ground.
Yashoda Lanka- This is another man who promised a lot as a youngster particularly when he made a marathon double hundred for the Sri Lanka U19s against England at the P.Sara Oval. He’s fallen off the radar but is still one of the strongest hitters of a cricket ball in the domestic circuit. He showed a glimpse of what he can do when hit an explosive 167 against BRC last season, but had a quiet time otherwise. His team from last season, Galle CC have been demoted to the tier ‘B’ segment this season, while he has made the switch to the newly promoted Sri Lanka Ports Authority unit for the upcoming season.
Ruvindu Gunasekara, chasing a childhood dream
Ruvindu Gunasekara is no stranger to the International…
Ruvindu Gunasekara- The Sri Lankan born opener who has represented Canada in 19 ODIs, has spoken about his dream of representing Sri Lanka and will turn up in Saracens colors in the upcoming season. He had a below par season with Moors SC last season, where he made just 365 runs in 8 games.
Ishan Jayaratne- A stalwart of the Colts Cricket Club, Ishan has made the switch to Ragama CC in a rather surprising move. A man who has always been in the fringes of the national set up, his greatest achievement has been representing the Sri Lanka A team. He picked up 27 wickets last season and will look improve on that performance in the upcoming season with his new club.
Binura Fernando- The injury prone left arm quick who has represented Sri Lanka in the shortest format, has been preparing for the upcoming season, with him turning up in just a solitary competitive game during the past year for the SLBP XI against the touring Bangladeshis. He has 36 first class wicket in just 10 games and will look to improve on that and give the selectors a reminder, when he turns up for Tamil Union after making the switch from SSC.
Kasun Rajitha- This tall right arm quick has kept knocking on the door since his dream T20I debut for Sri Lanka, where he rattled the Indian top order in a man of the match performance over a year ago. He was among the top fast bowlers in the domestic circuit last season picking up 37 wickets in 9 matches for Saracens SC, but will turn up for the club from Reid Avenue, Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club this season.
අෆ්රිඩිගේ කඩුල්ල සහ ආබාධ ගැන බිනුර ප්රනාන්දු කතා කරයි
චමින්ද වාස්ගෙන් පසුව 2009 වසරේදී හිස්වූ ශ්රී ලංකා වමත් වේගපන්දු යවන්නාගේ ධූරය සඳහා…
Chamara Silva – This ex-Sri Lanka player was also involved in the controversial tier ‘B’ game between KPC and Panadura SC last season which eventually resulted in KPC being demoted to the lower division. He has made the switch to Moors SC who were struggling for survival last season, and will lead them this season with a strong squad behind him.
Tharindu Ratnayake – Popular in the local club circuit for his unique ability of being able to bowl with both arms, the ambidextrous Ratnayake has made a big move from SSC to a new look Moors outfit. He has been closely watched by the selectors and will look to add to his already impressive 60 wickets in just 15 1st class games, when he turns up for his new club in the upcoming season.
 domestic tournament will kick off on Friday, the 1st December){kind=link}