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.
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
| Year | League table standing | Final standing |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5th out of 5 | League stage |
| 2021 | 5th out of 5 | League stage |
| 2022 | 1st out of 5 | Playoffs |
| 2023 | 3rd out of 5 | Champions |
| 2024 | 4th out of 5 | 3rd |
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 | N/a| — | 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 | N/a| — | |||
References
- ^ “Kandy Falcons”. mykhel.com. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
- ^ Report, K. T. “LPL will boost interest and offer opportunities for youngsters, feel Jaffna team owners”. Khaleej Times. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ Scroll staff (19 October 2020). “Cricket: Gayle, du Plessis, Afridi among marquee names picked in Lanka Premier League draft”. scroll.in. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- ^ “Lanka Premier League’s Kandy Franchise Get New Owners”. News18. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ “LPL 2022 Draft LIVE: Squads FINAL! Baby AB Dewald Brevis to make LPL debut with Kandy Falcons: Check LPL 2022 Full Squads”. Inside Sports. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Balasuriya, Madushka (2 July 2022). “LPL 2022 draft: Kandy Falcons sign Hasaranga; Rajapaksa to turn out for Dambulla Giants”. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ “Jimmy Neesham, Carlos Brathwaite headline overseas names for LPL”. Daily Mirror. Wijeya Newspapers. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
- ^ “LPL : New Kandy franchise owners announced”. Newswire. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ “B-Love Kandy wins LPL 2023”. Ada Derana. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ “SLC ‘unloves’ Kandy franchise owners ahead of LPL 5”. The Sunday Times. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ “SLC ‘B-Loves’ Kandy after ‘Unloving’ them”. Newswire. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ “U.S.-based investor Sandhya Ajjarapu takes ownership of Kandy Royals”. ThePapare. 20 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
- ^ “Pathirana, Udana, Janat the most expensive picks in LPL 2024 auction”. ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ “LPL 2024 Auction: Full Squads of all 5 Teams”. ThePapare. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
External links
| Seasons | |
|---|---|
| Player Drafts/Auctions |
|
| Finals | |
| Teams | |
| Venues | |
| Lists | |
