186/8 (20.0)
CR : 9.30
187/7 (20.0)
CR : 9.35
Jaffna Kings won by 1 run 🏆
Player of the Match
Kusal Mendis
105(54)
JK won by 1 run
11:06 PM IST and Local Time: Phew! What a nail-biter we have had in Colombo tonight! Jaffna Kings hold their nerve in the end to beat the defending champions, Kandy Falcons, by 1 run. The most successful franchise in the history of LPL, Jaffna Kings, move into the grand final and will play Galle Marvels tomorrow (July 21) at the same venue!
Earlier in the match, Kandy Falcons won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis set off to a flyer, scoring 47 runs for the first wicket. Chaturanga de Silva took care of Nissanka (18 off 20) in the final over the powerplay.
Kusal Mendis stood tall at one end, with the other batters coming and going without making any notable contribution at the other end, as the Kings lost wickets at regular intervals. Mendis kept his cool and smashed his maiden LPL century, hitting 105 in 54 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes, carrying his bat.
Mendis got able support from Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 13), whose cameo just stepped the scoring accelerator for the Kings in the end as they posted 187/7 in 20 overs.
For the Falcons, Chaturanga de Silva was brilliant, finishing with 2/22, while Ramesh Mendis, too, picked up 2 scalps. Mohammad Hasnain did pick up a couple of wickets in the final over but was very expensive, conceding 48 runs in his 4 overs. New ball bowlers Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka were expensive, too. Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga took a solitary wicket and was taken for runs as well.
Coming to the chase, Andre Fletcher (38 off 21) went honkers and bonkers in the powerplay, smoking 3 fours and 4 sixes, in which 3 of them came in one over of Omarzai. Along with Dinesh Chandimal, the Spicemen added 48 runs for the first wicket before the Kings introduced spin.
Fabian Allen breathed fire with the ball, picking up wickets for fun and showing some of the fancy dance moves. He finished with magnificent figures of 4/18 in 4 overs. There were a few handy contributions from Mohammad Haris (26 off 20) and Kamindu Mendis (32 off 23), but that was going to be enough in the big chase.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (3/30) was the other wicket-taker for the Jaffna-based franchise, who picked up wickets for the first time in the ongoing season. The defending champions experienced a massive collapse under pressure and were reduced 144/8 in the 18th over, nearing an easy defeat.
But Ramesh Mendis (30* off 11) and Pawan Rathnayake (11* off 5) had other ideas, and they fought until the end. With 38 required off 12 balls, the Kandy duo got 21 in the penultimate over delivered by Jason Behrendorff, who also got the wicket of the former with a beamer!
With 17 needed off the final over bowled by Asitha Fernando, Ramesh Mendis tried his best, hitting one four and one six. The Mendis-Rathnayake duo scored 15 runs as Fernando defended the score to send the Jaffna Kings to the summit clash with a one-run win!
Stay tuned for the presentations!
Earlier in the match, Kandy Falcons won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis set off to a flyer, scoring 47 runs for the first wicket. Chaturanga de Silva took care of Nissanka (18 off 20) in the final over the powerplay.
Kusal Mendis stood tall at one end, with the other batters coming and going without making any notable contribution at the other end, as the Kings lost wickets at regular intervals. Mendis kept his cool and smashed his maiden LPL century, hitting 105 in 54 balls with 12 fours and 5 sixes, carrying his bat.
Mendis got able support from Azmatullah Omarzai (26 off 13), whose cameo just stepped the scoring accelerator for the Kings in the end as they posted 187/7 in 20 overs.
For the Falcons, Chaturanga de Silva was brilliant, finishing with 2/22, while Ramesh Mendis, too, picked up 2 scalps. Mohammad Hasnain did pick up a couple of wickets in the final over but was very expensive, conceding 48 runs in his 4 overs. New ball bowlers Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka were expensive, too. Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga took a solitary wicket and was taken for runs as well.
Coming to the chase, Andre Fletcher (38 off 21) went honkers and bonkers in the powerplay, smoking 3 fours and 4 sixes, in which 3 of them came in one over of Omarzai. Along with Dinesh Chandimal, the Spicemen added 48 runs for the first wicket before the Kings introduced spin.
Fabian Allen breathed fire with the ball, picking up wickets for fun and showing some of the fancy dance moves. He finished with magnificent figures of 4/18 in 4 overs. There were a few handy contributions from Mohammad Haris (26 off 20) and Kamindu Mendis (32 off 23), but that was going to be enough in the big chase.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (3/30) was the other wicket-taker for the Jaffna-based franchise, who picked up wickets for the first time in the ongoing season. The defending champions experienced a massive collapse under pressure and were reduced 144/8 in the 18th over, nearing an easy defeat.
But Ramesh Mendis (30* off 11) and Pawan Rathnayake (11* off 5) had other ideas, and they fought until the end. With 38 required off 12 balls, the Kandy duo got 21 in the penultimate over delivered by Jason Behrendorff, who also got the wicket of the former with a beamer!
With 17 needed off the final over bowled by Asitha Fernando, Ramesh Mendis tried his best, hitting one four and one six. The Mendis-Rathnayake duo scored 15 runs as Fernando defended the score to send the Jaffna Kings to the summit clash with a one-run win!
Stay tuned for the presentations!
Time for the post-match presentation...
Catch of the Match: Fabian Allen for his catch to dismiss Mohammad Haris.
Player of the Match: Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis (Player of the Match): "Yeah, Of course, we lost two or three wickets early, but I played my natural game. Charith supported me in the middle overs and then I was able to manage my innings. The run rate was good, so it was easier for me to manage my innings and get us to 170-180 on this wicket. I knew I could manage the innings if I played for 20 overs. I'm finding my form now and hope to continue it in the final and the India series."
Wanindu Hasaranga (Kandy Falcons Captain): "The wicket was good and it was a chasable total but end of the day, it was a great game of cricket. It was a great journey and we had a great bunch of players, especially our foreign players, who gave me confidence. Youngsters and senior players got the opportunities as well."
Charith Asalanka (Jaffna Kings Captain): "It's a great feeling that we are playing in the final, but tomorrow will be the most important game. 188 is a very good score on this track but I knew that they came with 10 batters, so it's a tricky match, but our bowlers did a fantastic job. (On spin-heavy or pace-heavy squad in the final) It's a tough question, let me have a chat with my coach first (chuckles)."
What a nerve-wracking Qualifier 2! It will be Galle Marvels and Jaffna Kings in the title clash tomorrow (July 21) at Colombo! For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Deepak Prakash and scorer/analyst Paras Yadav, who brought you all the live-action of this mouth-watering clash from the LPL. Don't forget to join us in the next game. Until then, its cheers!