The group stages of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022 have highlighted promising local talent in the field of cricket. Here are a few of them.
Avishka Fernando
After a tough period in his career, Avishka Fernando has well and truly announced his reincarnation with a fabulous LPL 2022. Not only is he topping the batters list with 268 runs in seven innings, he has maintained a decent strike rate above 120 through the tournament. His return to form will prompt the selectors to get him back on the national side for the upcoming tour of India.
Sadeera Samarawickrama
The right handed wicket keeper batter was expected to be one of the great prospects for Sri Lanka Cricket. Despite scoring several breathtaking innings in white-ball cricket, Samarawickrama failed to cement his place in the national side.
However, the LPL 2022 has been a dominant one for him and it could be the one to get him back on track to represent Sri Lanka once again. His 235 runs came at a strike rate of 129.12 and he averages 59 through the group stage.
Nuwanidu Fernando
The 23-year-old Nuwanidu Fernando was impressive with the bat through the group stage games. His long leavers helped him clear the boundaries at ease and helped him maintain a 134.43 strike rate.
He cleared the boundary nine times and found the fence on 15 occasions in the 151 balls he faced. With the national side lacking firepower in the middle, Fernando would potentially make the cut for the upcoming India series.
Ashen Bandara
Bandara who had turned out to be the designated 12th man in the national side, made a strong case for himself scoring some vital runs for Kandy Falcons. He maintained a strike rate of 126.49 through the group stage scoring 191 runs.
Binura Fernando
The lanky left-armer was firing on all cylinders through the group stages taking 10 wickets in just three games. Apart from the wickets, he maintained an economy rate of 5.81, while he is also the third-lowest among the top 10 wicket takers.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
The 21-year-old leg spinner from Jaffna was yet again impressive for the Kings, taking 10 wickets in six games. The young leg-spinner somewhat filled the gap left by Wanindu Hasaranga in the Kings by maintaining an economy rate below seven.
However, his chances of making it to the national side is far-fetched, given Hasaranga and Vandersay are already there as leg-spinning options. But his rise to stardom in the LPL 2022 will go a long way in his career.
Nuwan Thushara
The slinger Nuwan Thushara is back amongst the wickets with 14 scalps in eight games this season. However, the slinger has been touch expensive going for 7.42 runs per over. As long as the wickets are tumbling, the economy rate should not be an issue for Thushara.
Chamika Karunarathne
A story of resurgence from the LPL 2022. He was axed from the side, ridiculed by the officials and media, lost several teeth but he bounced back with vengeance during the group stages. He is not in the top 10 in either department, but the impact he had in the games was worth mentioning.
Karunarathne picked up six wickets at an economy rate of 7.42 in 16.1 overs. In four innings, he chipped in with 89 runs at a staggering strike rate of 181.63. All these runs came in crucial moments at the death for the Kandy Falcons.