Lanka Premier League | Day 11 Round-up

image-lbv49zmaJaffna Kings (Source: Twitter)

The league stage of the Lanka Premier League 2022 got concluded on Monday (December 19). Here's a brief report on both matches that transpired in Colombo. 

Match 19: Jaffna Kings vs Colombo Stars

Batting first, Colombo Stars lost their key batters, Niroshan Dickwella (0), Dinesh Chandimal (0) and Charith Asalanka (6) early. The flurry of wickets of key batters put them under the pump.

It took the knocks from Nishan Madushka (35) and Ravi Bopara (20) to put the team back on track. In the end, Dominic Drakes was terrific with a knock of 38 off 20 to provide a flourish and help the Stars post a competitive 128. Thisara Perera and Shoaib Malik picked two wickets each.

In reply, the proficient opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Avishka Fernando provided a glorious start to the Kings. They added 105 runs for the first wicket before Gurbaz was dismissed for 69 off 40.

Then, Fernando remained unbeaten on 40, as the Kings sealed the chase with more than four overs to spare. They finished the league stage in the second position in the table.

Brief Scores:

Colombo Stars - 128/9 (20)

Nishan Madushka 35 (44), Dominic Drakes 38 (20);
Thisara Perera 2/14, Shoaib Malik 2/4

Jaffna Kings - 131/2 (15.5)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz 69 (40), Avishka Fernando 40* (38)
Dominic Drakes 1/30, Jeffrey Vandersay 1/33

Result: Jaffna Kings won by 8 wcikets

Match 20: Galle Gladiators vs Dambulla Aura

An exciting match took place between Galle Gladiators and Dambulla Aura, wherein both teams’ qualification to playoffs was hanging by a thread. Batting first, the Gladiators had a rough start as they were reduced to 32/4.

Nuwanidu Fernando slammed an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls to pave way for them to post 129 on the board. Matthew Forde scalped four wickets and was the finest bowler. Aura needed to chase 130 in 11.1 to qualify for the playoffs.

In response, Aura’s key batters Shevon Daniel (2) and Sikandar Raza (17) could not contribute enough. Forde’s impressive knock of 52 off 30 brought the team close to qualification. However, Jordan Cox (34 off 21) was dismissed at the wrong time. Although, they won the match by four wickets but finished fifth.

Brief Scores:

Galle Gladiators - 129/8 (20)

Nuwanidu Fernando 63 (42), Nuwanidu Fernando 17 (15);
Matthew Forde 4/11, Dilum Sudeera 1/14

Dambulla Aura - 134/6 (14.2)

Matthew Forde 52 (30), Jordan Cox 34 (21)
Imad Wasim 2/32, Nuwan Thushara 2/42

Result: Dambulla Aura won by 4 wickets

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