During the first player Draft for the inaugural SLPL season, conducted in July 2012, the Uva team bought a number of contemporary star cricketers such as Chris Gayle, Umar Gul, Upul Tharanga, Jacob Oram, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Thilina Kandamby.

They also bought Sri Lankan and Foreign Internationals such as Sachithra Senanayake, Dilhara Fernando, Seekkuge Prasanna, Callum Ferguson, Andrew McDonald, Shoaib Malik and some very promising domestic players such as Dilshan Munaweera, Banuka Rajapaksha and Charith Jayampathi.

Though their bowlers restricted the opposition to a competitive score the uva batting collapsed giving Wayamba United the win.

The next match with the Kandurata Warriors was an important game for both teams meaning that the winner would join Wayamba United in the semi-finals.

In the first semi-final Uva were lucky to retain two of their injured players but they lost Upul Tharanga due to a finger dislocation.

But this meant that Uva Next would face the Nagenahira Nagas in the final of the inaugural edition of Sri Lanka Premier League.

The captain of Uva Next in the inaugural season of SLPL was supposed to be Chris Gayle but due to an injury the captaincy was awarded to former Sri Lankan vice-captain Thilina Kandamby.Shivnarine Chanderpaul was brought in as a replacement to the fellow West Indian.