The third season of the Lanka Premier League is currently underway. The teams taking part in this season are Colombo Stars, Dambulla Giants, Galle Gladiators, Jaffna Kings, and Kandy Falcons. Since making their debut, Jaffna Kings have proven to be the undisputed champions.
Two matches on Day 2 of the LPL were played on Wednesday in Sri Lanka. In the first match between Jaffna Kings and Dambulla Aura, Kings emerged victorious, while Kandy Falcons defeated Galle Gladiators in the second game.
Jaffna Kings vs Dambulla Aura
Defending champions Jaffna Kings continued their winning momentum as they registered their second win in the Lanka Premier League after beating Dambulla Aura by 9 wickets. Aura’s skipper Dasun Shanaka opted to bat first after winning the toss but failed to put on a fighting target for the Kings. Aura’s openers, Jordan Cox and Shevon Daniel, gave a brilliant start to the team with Cox scoring 43 runs off just 22 balls.
Aura’s star-studded line-up couldn’t keep up the momentum after Cox got out and started losing their wickets at regular intervals. They ended up notching only 121 for the loss of 9 wickets.
Batting second, Kings reached the target with 4 overs to spare. Riding on the opening partnership of Sadeera Samarawickrama (62 from 44) and Avishka Fernando ( 51 from 49 balls), Jaffna Kings secured an easy win. Sadeera’s innings included 7 boundaries and 1 six, while Fernando’s innings was laced with 4 boundaries and 1 six.
Galle Gladiators vs Kandy Falcons
The second match of the day was between Galle Gladiators and Kandy Falcons. The Gladiators posted 121/8 on board in 20 overs after winning the toss and the Falcons chased the target in just 15 overs with the loss of five wickets.
Kamindu Mendis (44) scored the most runs for the Falcons. He hit four boundaries and two sixes after openers Pathum Nissanka and Andre Fletcher gave a decent start to the Falcons during the chase. Pathum Nissanka scored 22 runs off 21 balls with the help of three boundaries and a six. On the other hand, Fletcher scored 20 runs off just 14 balls, including three boundaries and a six.
