LPL 2022: Dambulla Aura opens their winning account, Kandy Falcons thrash Colombo Stars

There were two matches played on Saturday in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Dambulla Aura beat Galle Gladiators in the first match of the day while in the second match Kandy Falcons defeated Colombo Stars brutally by 9 wickets.

Dambulla Aura vs Galle Gladiators

Dambulla Aura beat Galle Gladiators by 48 runs in the first match. Earlier, after winning the toss, Aura elected to bat first. Shevon Daniel and Jordan Cox opened the innings. The opening duo put up a mammoth 163-run partnership in 17.4 overs to set up a strong platform for the team. Daniel made 80 from 55 balls, which included 5 boundaries and 5 sixes. Meanwhile, Cox made 77 from 58 balls. His innings was laced with 6 boundaries and 3 sixes. However, towards the end of the innings, Galle Gladiators bowlers took some wickets to keep the Dambulla Aura to 178 for the loss of 5 wickets.

Chasing down the target, for Galle Gladiators, Thanuka Dabare and Captain Kusal Mendis opened the innings. The team didn’t get to a good start as Kusal Mendis was dismissed by Dasun Shanaka for a duck. Shortly after that, Thanuka was sent back to the pavilion by Pramod Madushan. Lahiru Udara and Asad Shafiq then put up a 41-run partnership to give the chase stability. But Dambulla Aura’s bowlers hit back strong as they kept taking wickets at regular intervals to bowl them out for 130. 

Kandy Falcons vs Colombo Stars

Kandy Falcons beat Colombo Stars by 9 wickets in the second match. Earlier, after winning the toss, Stars elected to bat first. For Colombo Stars, Niroshan Dickwella and Dinesh Chandimal opened the innings. Dickwella was dismissed for a duck by Udana. Chandimal and Charith Asalanka then put up a 34-run partnership. Captain Angelo Mathews contributed with 41 runs from 38 balls, which included 4 boundaries and 1 six. However, the team really couldn’t put up a big total as wickets kept falling at regular intervals.

For Kandy Falcons, Chamika Karunaratne was the pick of the bowling with an impeccable spell. He took 4/11 from 3 overs. Chasing down the target, Kandy Falcons started badly as Bhanuka was dismissed early for just 6 runs by Lakmal. Andre Fletcher and Kamindu Mendis then up a 101-run partnership to register an easy win for the Kandy Falcons.