LPL Qualifiers begin today:
Jaffna Kings, Galle Marvels vie for final spot
Galle Marvels skipper Niroshan Dickwella/Jaffna Kings skipper Charith AsalankaGalle Marvels skipper Niroshan Dickwella/Jaffna Kings skipper Charith Asalanka
The top two teams in the LPL, Galle Marvels and Jaffna Kings, will battle it out in Qualifier 1 today at R. Premadasa Stadium, starting at 3 PM.
Both teams have strong all-rounders. Galle Marvels, captained by Niroshan Dickwella, are looking to challenge Jaffna Kings, led by Charith Asalanka. Both sides are expected to rely heavily on their spinners to exploit the pitch conditions.
After the league stage, both teams finished with 10 points from five victories each. Galle Marvels lead on net run rate (-0.059) compared to Jaffna Kings (-0.392).
Jaffna Kings have a formidable batting lineup. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Avishka Fernando each scored 311 runs. Nissanka, who notched the highest individual score in the LPL with 119 against Kandy Falcons, is a key player. However, Kusal Mendis’s poor form is a concern. South African Rilee Rossouw, along with Avishka Fernando and skipper Asalanka, strengthen their batting order.
Both Galle Marvels and Jaffna Kings lost their last games against Kandy Falcons. Colombo Strikers defeated Jaffna Kings by 9 wickets and Galle Marvels by 7 wickets. Toss will be crucial today as the team batting second is likely to have an advantage. Skipper Asalanka has managed his team well and provided crucial contributions as a top-order batter.
In the last game against Kandy, shortened to 7 overs per side due to rain, Asalanka delivered a swift and powerful innings to chase down the 78-run target. His aggressive batting significantly boosts the team’s ability to reach challenging targets.
Skipper Asalanka said the newly introduced power blast overs (overs 16 and 17) give a good advantage to the team batting second. “We can accelerate our total during these two overs, which is beneficial when we are chasing the innings.”
Dickwella and former England opener Alex Hales consistently play aggressive innings during the power play (first six overs) to maximise runs. Foreign players Hales and Tim Seifert have been in good form, with Hales scoring 284 runs (fifth among batters) and Seifert scoring 291 runs (fourth among batters). Both have a crucial role in building the innings. All-rounder Isuru Udana adds strength in the middle order, while Bhanuka Rajapaksa is known for his big shots.
Jaffna Kings need a solid foundation from their top order. Galle Marvels’ head coach Graham Ford, a former Sri Lanka national coach, brings valuable insights about the players and venues. Jaffna Kings’ head coach Avishka Gunawardena encourages a positive approach from his team.
Compared to Pallekele and Dambulla, the wicket at R.Premadasa Stadium favours spinners. Both Galle and Jaffna want to strengthen their spin departments. The teams have met twice: Galle won at Pallekele with Hales scoring 65 off 47 balls, while Jaffna chased 188 at Dambulla, winning with 2 balls to spare.
Maheesh Theekshana the mystery spinner of Galle Marvels once again could be dangerous bowler and at this Premadasa Stadium he could be match winner having very success figures against Dambulla Sixes which ended with super over victory .Sahan Arachchige the off spin all-rounder from Galle Marvels also very important player who can make good challenge to Jaffna .Dwaine Pretorius ,Isuru Udana and Zahoor Khan are the three top paceman of Galle Marvels .
Jaffna Kings skipper Charith Asalanka said they are ready to put up a good fight against Galle Marvels and aim to reach the grand final. Jaffna’s spin attack includes young leg spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, West Indies’ Fabien Allen, and Asalanka himself. They will strengthen their bowling with pacemen Asitha Fernando and Azmatullah Omarzai.
In the other match, Colombo Strikers, led by Thisara Perera, will face Kandy Falcons, led by Wanindu Hasaranga, in the eliminator game at 7:30 PM today. The winner will play the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2 on Saturday. The winner of Qualifier 1 will advance to the final on Sunday at 7:30 PM. All matches will be at R. Premadasa Stadium.