After suffering a narrow defeat to Jaffna Kings, Colombo Kaps bounced back with a 23-run victory over Kandy Royals in Match 9 of the Lanka Premier League 2026 in Dambulla to climb to the top of the points table.
Having won the toss, Kandy Royals captain Angelo Mathews elected to bowl first. Following three consecutive failures, Rubin Hermann finally got some runs under his belt. The Proteas left-hander set the tone with his maiden LPL fifty. However, the rest of Colombo’s top order failed to make an impact.
Colombo Kaps slipped to 102 for 5 with the dismissal of Hermann, but Janith Liyanage’s unbeaten 52 off 33 balls, along with useful cameos from James Neesham and Binura Fernando, lifted them to 192 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs.
For Kandy Royals, Dushan Hemantha, Moeen Ali and Shaheen Afridi claimed two wickets apiece.
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In reply, Kandy Royals lost wickets at regular intervals right from the start. They were reduced to 77 for 5 inside the first 10 overs, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman claiming three wickets.
Dale Phillips was dismissed by fellow New Zealander James Neesham for 38 as the Royals slipped further to 95 for 7. Just when Colombo Kaps looked set to wrap up the innings, Vijay Shankar and Angelo Mathews gave the Royals renewed hope with a 49-run partnership. Shankar struck a brisk 30 off 23 balls.
Mathews, who left the field with discomfort after bowling just three balls in the very first over of the innings, came out to bat at No. 9. He remained unbeaten on 39 off 24 balls, but was unable to prevent his side from slipping to the bottom of the points table after suffering their third defeat.
Brief Scores:
Colombo Kaps – 192/9 (20) Rubin Hermann 53, Janith Liyanage 52*, James Neesham 24, Dushan Hemantha 2/20, Moeen Ali 2/31, Shaheen Afridi 2/34
Kandy Royals – 169/8 (20) Angelo Mathews 39*, Dale Phillips 38, Vijay Shankar 30, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 3/34, James Neesham 1/7, Wanuja Sahan 1/24
Result – Colombo Kaps won by 23 runs.
