Tag: Jaffna Kings vs Galle Titans

COLOMBO: Right-arm pacer Kasun Rajitha’s four-for led Galle Titans to register a thumping seven-wicket victory over Jaffna Kings in the 17th game of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Sunday.

Opting to bat first, Jaffna Kings lost their first wicket on the third ball as Rajitha sent attacking opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz back to the pavilion.

The defending champions soon slumped to 7-4 as they lost three wickets within eight deliveries.

This opened the floodgates as Kings fell into the abyss with wickets crumbling at regular intervals.

Dunith Wellalage anchored through the innings with 22 runs off 31 balls amid chaos on the other end as he kept losing partners.

Only three players, other than Wellalage managed to reach double figures and Jaffna Kings were consequently bundled out for a meagre 89 runs.

Rajitha led the bowling attack for Galle Titans, picking up four wickets for 20 runs, while Tabraiz Shamsi and Lahiru Kumara chipped in with two wickets each.

Galle Titans started the chase strongly as they swiftly raced to 33 runs off four overs before Bhanuka Rajapaksa was caught by Shoaib Malik off Maheesh Theekshana.

Tim Seifert then led the chase and carved a sensible 51-ball partnership with Chad Bowes off 48 deliveries to lead his team to 84-1 in 12 overs.

With only, six runs needed, Seifart attempted to finish things in style however he was caught at short cover by Perera off Madushanka.

His 42-ball 55 featured five boundaries and one six.

Captain Dasun Shanaka hit the winning runs in the next over, as Galle Titans comfortably chased the total with 39 balls remaining.

Galle Titans are placed at number four in the LPL points table below third-ranked Jaffna Kings, due to net run rate difference.

However, Galle Titans have one more game to play in the LPL against Colombo Strikers on August 15, while Jaffna Kings have played all their group-stage games in the current LPL.

READ: England eye to ‘unretire’ Ben Stokes for World Cup defence

PALLEKELE: Dunith Wellalage annihilated Galle Titans with a four-fer before Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s half-century led Jaffna Kings to a dominant eight victory in the seventh match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023.

Chasing a modest 118, the Kings comfortably chased down the total for the loss of just two wickets and 44 balls to spare, thanks to a brisk half-century by Gurbaz.

The Kings lost their first wicket in the pursuit on 17 with Shamyl Hussain returning to the hut for five off 10 balls.

Right-handed batter Gurbaz was joined by Towhid Hridoy and the pair knitted an anchoring 83-run partnership for the second wicket.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz contributed 46 runs in the partnership and over the course of the second-wicket stand brought up a brilliant half-century.

The duo appeared to be in complete command to steer the Kings over the line before Shakib Al Hasan struck again to get rid of Gurbaz with the Kings still requiring 18 for victory off 52 balls.

The wicketkeeper batter struck three boundaries and five sixes on his way to top score for the Kings with a 39-ball 54.

Hridoy and David Miller then made sure there were no hiccups in the run-chase and took the Kings home in the 13th over.

After a late blitz, Hridoy remained unbeaten with a 23-ball 44 which featured two boundaries and four sixes.

Earlier, after opting to bat first in a bid to get behold of their top LPL spot, Galle Titans managed to score 120 for nine in 20 overs after left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage wreaked havoc with a four-fer.

For the Titans, skipper Dasun Shanaka top-scored with a cautious 24-ball 30, laced up with two boundaries and two sixes.

The next notable run-getters for the Titans were openers Shevon Daniel (25) and Lasith Croospulle (19).

Besides Wellalage, Nandre Burger picked two wickets while Charith Asalanka and Maheesh Theekshana made one scalp each.

The dominant eight-victory propelled holders Jaffna Kings to pip Galle Titans at the top of the LPL standings. Both teams have four points after three matches.

READ: Korea hold Pakistan for a 1-1 draw in Asian Hockey Champions Trophy