Dambulla Sixers
Dambulla Sixers, previously known as Dambulla Aura, Dambulla Giants, Dambulla Viiking, and Dambulla Thunders is a franchise Twenty20 cricket team based in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, that competes in the Lanka Premier League.
In June 2021, Sri Lanka Cricket terminated the franchise ahead of the 2021 Lanka Premier League, due to financial issues. In September 2021, the team changed their name to Dambulla Giants after changing owners. Then, prior to the 2022 season, Aura Lanka brought the franchise and changed its name to Dambulla Aura.Franchise history
2020 season
2021 season
2022 season
2023 season
2024 season
In 2024, the team was purchased by Imperial Sports Group, who renamed it Dambulla Thunders. Tamim Rahman, a co-owner of Dambulla Thunders, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport a day after the 2024 LPL player auction. The special investigating unit for preventing sports-related offences of the Ministry of Sports made the arrest. Following the arrest, LPL terminated its contract with Dambulla Thunders with immediate effect. The IPG Group, the organisers of LPL announced, the fifth edition of the league will continue as planned despite the events related to Dambulla Thunders. IPG further stated that the Dambulla franchise will participate in the league under new ownership. Incidentally, Viranjith Thambugala, chairman of Aura Lanka, the previous owner of Dambulla franchise, was arrested by Sri Lanka Police over allegations of financial fraud on the same day. At last, Dambulla franchise was bought by a Los Angeles based engineering consultant firm called Sequoia Consultants.
To promote breast cancer awareness and encourage self-examination, Dambulla Sixers played their match against Galle Marvels on July 14 wearing pink jerseys with a pink ribbon. Inspired by successful campaigns in other cricket-playing nations, the initiative aims to significantly impact cancer awareness in Sri Lanka. Galle Marvels also wore a special jersey that mixed pink with their usual neon green to support their program.Current squad
- Sources: ESPNcricinfo, ThePapare.com, Newswire.com
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
Administration and support staff
| Position | Name |
| Head coach | Rangana Herath |
| Mentor | Roshan Mahanama |
| Bowling coach | Chamila Gamage |
| Fielding coach | Ruwin Peiris |
| Batting coach | Thilina Kandamby |
History
Captains
| No. | Player | From | To | | Won | Lost | Tied | | |
| 1 | Dasun Shanaka | 2020 | 2022 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 37.50 |
| 2 | Niroshan Dickwella | 2021 | 2021 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| 3 | Sikandar Raza | 2022 | 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 4 | Kusal Mendis | 2023 | 2023 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 68.75 |
| 5 | Dhananjaya de Silva | 2023 | 2023 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| 6 | Mohammad Nabi | 2024 | present | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 37.50 |
''As of 16 July 2024''Seasons
Statistics
Most runs
| Runs | Player | Seasons |
| 544 | Dasun Shanaka | 2020–2022 |
| 421 | Niroshan Dickwella | 2020–2021 |
| 301 | Phil Salt | 2021 |
| 239 | Avishka Fernando | 2023 |
| 227 | Angelo Perera | 2020 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Highest individual score
| Runs | Player | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| 102* | Kusal Perera | Jaffna Kings | Pallekele | 03 07 2024 |
| 91* | Mark Chapman | Kandy Falcons | Pallekele | 01 07 2024 |
| 87 | Kusal Mendis | Colombo Strikers | Pallekele | 05 August 2023 |
| 80 | Shevon Daniel | Galle Gladiators | Colombo | 17 12 2022 |
| 80 | Reeza Hendricks | Jaffna Kings | Dambulla | 6 7 2024 |
| 80 | Kusal Perera | Colombo Strikers | Dambulla | 7 7 2024 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Most wickets
| Wickets | Player | Seasons |
| 15 | Imran Tahir | 2021 |
| 13 | Ramesh Mendis | 2020–2022 |
| 12 | Noor Ahmad | 2022–2023 |
| 10 | Dhananjaya de Silva | 2023 |
| 10 | Nuwan Pradeep | 2021 |
- Source: ESPNcricinfo
Team identity
Anthem
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
In the inaugural season, Life Bottled Water, Big Brother, Goa King's, Planet Hollywood and Viiking Ventures became as team sponsors while Swarnavahini, Ran FM, E FM and Shree FM was the media partners. TigerExchange News became the team's main sponsor in the 2022 season. In 2023 season, Babu88 Sports became as the principal sponsor of the Dambulla franchise.