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Lpl Final Handed Three Losses In A Row Jaffna Rise Up To Win The One Game That Mattered

LPL Final | Handed three losses in a row, Jaffna rise up to win the one game that mattered

After suffering three heavy defeats against Galle Gladiators in the 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier League, Jaffna Kings turned up when it mattered the most to successfully defend the title on Thursday, 23 December.

A repeat of last year’s final fixture, this match was expected to be close, however, Kings, after choosing to bat first, blew Gladiators away with a thoroughly dominating performance. The top three fired in their individual capacities to rake up 201 runs in the first innings, setting Kings for a big win.

However, the win took a little more time to arrive than expected with Danushka Gunathilaka counter attacking from word go. Once Gunathilaka was trapped by Wanindu Hasaranga, Gladiators failed to put up partnerships and keep the scoreboard in control. The de Silva brothers - Wanindu and Chaturanga were the picks among the bowlers picking up two wickets each conceding just 45 runs between them in seven overs.

Kings had a lot of energy in the field as well, stark opposite to Galle Gladiators who dropped catches, misfielded to give loads of extra runs in the first innings. Conversely, the tremendous efforts in the field lifted up the spirits of the Kings, winning the game by 23 runs.

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Lanka Premier League Final | Hasranga masterclass pushes Gladiators back

Despite an exceptional start to the chase, Galle Gladiators failed to capitalise on it, failing to keep momentum through the crucial phases of the innings. After spraying 201 runs with the ball, Gladiators hit back at Jaffna, piling on 59 runs in just 4 overs. Just as things seemed to be going out of hands, Wanindu Hasaranga’s introduction bore fruitful results and the right arm leg spinner returned two wickets in his very first over. Bowling the penultimate over of the powerplay, Hasaranga dismissed main man Danushka Gunathilaka with a googly and then in the very next ball drew a false shot from Ben Dunk who came out at three. Not only did Hasaranga take two wickets, he kept the run in check conceding just 19 runs from his first three overs. He was a livewire at the field and took an exceptional catch off the bowling of his brother - Chaturanga de Silva in the 14th over to remove dangerman Dhananjaya Lakshan for just two runs. At the time of writing, the Gladiators were struggling at 143/7 in 15.5 overs. They needed 59 off 25 balls.

Lanka Premier League Final | Gladiators counter attack Jaffna with rapid Gunathilaka 50

Danushka Gunathilaka scored a rapid half century of just 19 balls to set the tempo for the chase in the final of the Lanka Premier League. The left hander was so fiercely dominant in the powerplay that amongst the first 59 runs that came in 4 overs, he himself had scored 50 runs. Chasing a steep target of 202 runs, Gladiators could not have dreamt of a better start. Gunathilaka took on one of the best bowlers of the tournament - Maheesh Theekshana and took 30 runs off his first two overs. To put things into perspective, Theekshana is the joint second highest wicket taker at the moment and potentially could end the tournament as the purple cap holder. The rapid start came to an end in the fifth over the game, much like the first innings of this final clash. Wanindu Hasaranga, after getting belted for a boundary in the first ball struck back straight away with a googly, outfoxing the left hander in a false shot. Gunathilaka, trying to clobber the ball over mid off, fell well short, offering a simple chance to Thisara Perera. Right after him Ben Dunk at three also fell prey to Hasranga’s tricks and got out for a golden ball duck. At the time of writing, Galle Gladiators were 67/2 at the end of the powerplay.

Lanka Premier League Final | Jaffna top three shine again; post 202 as target

The top three of the Jaffna Kings were at it again, combining their efforts to post a huge total in the finals of the Lanka Premier League on Thursday, 23 December. Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, the opening duo of Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz wasted no time and put up a partnership of 50 runs within the first five overs. After Gurbaz was dismissed in the last over of the powerplay, man in form Tom Kohler-Cadmore got into the act and scored a splendid half-century in 38 balls to put Jaffna in charge. There were two phases of play for the Jaffna Kings in this game, one where the runs flew plentifully while Fernando was batting and then the one without him where Galle Gladiators did very well to squeeze a fight in. However, after an initial burst, Kohler-Cadmore showed good composure and took Jaffna to a safe score along with Shoaib Malik who scored 23 runs off 11 balls before getting out in the 19th over to Mohammad Amir. The bowling department did well in the second half of the innings. Medium-pacer Nuwan Thushara mixed his lengths and pace well to put a cap on the run flow. While his figures read 4-0-33-1, there were absolutely no doubters that he should have gotten more wickets. However, as has been the case throughout the day, Gladiators' fielding let them down. The final over of the innings bore 19 runs for Jaffna Kings after Gladiators were forced to bowl part-timer Dhananjaya Lakshan in the final over. Thisara Perera capitalised the last over and scored 19 off 7 balls. At the end of the 20 overs, Jaffna put on 201 runs losing 3 wickets.

ICC planning to make 3 million USD bid for cricket's inclusion at Olympics

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is planning to launch a 3 million USD bid for the inclusion of the sport in the Olympics according to an ESPNCricinfo report. Cricket wasn’t included in the list of 28 probable sports for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Programme by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). "It took time to get the ball rolling," an official revealed to ESPNcricinfo. "There hasn't been enough work done yet. There have been too many sideshows within the ICC.” Last year, the then ICC acting chairman Imran Khwaja had formed a committee which included independent director Indra Nooyi, then-ECB chair Ian Watmore, Tavengwa Mukuhlani (Zimbabwe) and Scotland's Tony Brian who at the time was an Associate director to give a detailed analysis of the sport’s inclusion at the Olympics. But the committee couldn’t meet as Khwaja lost the election of the chairperson to Greg Barclay. The focus was then shifted to ouster of ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney and ICC finally announced the bid in early August.