Bowlers once again led the way as Jaffna Kings secured their second win of the tournament, defeating Colombo Kaps by 5 runs in Match 7 of the Lanka Premier League 2026 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.
Kamindu Mendis took over the Colombo Kaps captaincy after regular skipper Kusal Mendis was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a hamstring injury. The toss went Colombo’s way and they elected to bowl first. They made five changes to their line-up, bringing in Thanuka Dabare, Sharujan Shanmuganathan, Milan Rathnayake, Movin Subasingha and Shahnawaz Dahani. Zahoor Khan was included in the Jaffna Kings playing XI, making his first appearance in this year’s LPL.
Avishka Fernando and Kamil Mishara laid a solid foundation with a 65-run opening partnership. After getting starts, both were dismissed in the 30s. Chamindu Wickramasinghe, promoted to No. 3, played an impactful innings.
He shared crucial partnerships of 43 and 30 with Ibrahim Zadran and Dunith Wellalage respectively, before both batters fell for 19. Wickramasinghe top-scored with a brisk 43 off 22 balls to help Jaffna Kings post 179 for 6 in their 20 overs.
- Kusal Mendis ruled out of remainder of LPL 2026 due to injury
- Udara and Thushara star as Kandy Royals register first win in LPL 2026
- India to play four-day warm-up match ahead of Sri Lanka Test Series
- Colombo Kaps script remarkable comeback to secure first win of LPL 2026
Dahani dismissed both left-handers in the penultimate over to finish with figures of 2 for 25 from his four overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman also struck twice in an over, removing Zadran and Bhanuka Rajapaksa.
Colombo Kaps opening stand once again lasted only 10 balls as Traveen Mathew bowled Rubin Hermann, with the opener now dismissed bowled in all three of his innings in this year’s LPL. Soon after, Dilshan Madushanka trapped Thanuka Dabare lbw as the Kaps slipped to 9 for 2. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Ben McDermott also failed to make an impact as Colombo were reduced to 52 for 4 in 8.1 overs, with four of their top five batters falling for single-digit scores.
Kamindu Mendis and Sharujan Shanmuganathan then put together the highest partnership of the innings, adding 48 runs. Skipper Kamindu brought up his half-century but soon became Mathew’s second victim. Wanuja Sahan played a fighting unbeaten knock of 35 off just 15 balls, but the early damage proved costly as Colombo Kaps fell 5 runs short.
Lizaad Williams once again impressed with the ball, claiming 3 for 30, while Dilshan Madushanka finished with excellent figures of 2 for 12 from his three overs.
Brief Scores:
Jaffna Kings – 133/5 (19) Chamindu Wickramasinghe 43, Kamil Mishara 39, Avishka Fernando 34, Shahnawaz Dahani 2/25, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/33
Colombo Kaps – 174/9 (20) Kamindu Mendis 58, Wanuja Sahan 35*, Sharujan Shanmuganathan 26, Lizaad Williams 3/30, Dilshan Madushanka 2/12, Traveen Mathew 2/21
Result – Jaffna Kings won by 5 runs.
