Avishka Fernando 100 (64) and Jayden Seales (3/24) set the stage for Jaffna Kings to win this LPL 2021 Qualifier 2 match against Dambulla Giants by 23 runs.
With this win, Jaffna Kings will meet Galle Gladiators in the finals of the LPL and the two teams have met each other thrice in this competition so far and Jaffna has lost all three of them. Therefore the finals will be a thrilling contest as Galle will try to make it four out of four and Jaffna will give a good fight to defend their title as the champions.
With the ball, Jayden Seals was a star with the ball. His recorded the best bowling figures for Jaffna as he picked up 3 wickets for 24 runs also He needs just two more wickets to become the highest wicket taker in the tournament.
After winning the toss, Niroshan Dickwella of Dambulla Giants decided to field first. But Jaffna Kings opening pair, Avishka and Gurbaz responded well with the bat as the duo added 122 runs for the opening wicket in just 13.2 overs. Gurbaz scored 70 runs in just 40 deliveries with 4 sixes and 5 fours and Avishka entered the record books by becoming the first Sri Lankan batsman to score a century in the Lanka Premier League. Jaffna Kings managed to complete their 20 overs with 210 runs for the loss of just 4 wickets.
Dambulla Giants ended up giving a good fight with the bat as they fell just 23 runs short of the target. Chamika Karunarathne was the star with the bat for Giants as he recorded his best figures with the bat in his T20 career.
Chamika scored an unbeaten 75 runs to anchor Dambulla Giants with 2 sixes and 10 fours but it was not enough as Jaffna Kings won the match by 23 runs. Giant’s top order collapsed at the hands of Maheesh Theekshana and the rest of the Jaffna bowlers as they took 3 crucial wickets in the powerplay.
Match Summary
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings, Qualifier 2, Lanka Premier League
Dambulla Giants 187/9 (20 ov)
Jaffna Kings 210/4 (20 ov)
Result – Jaffna Kings won by 23 runs
