The fourth edition of the Lanka Premier League 2023 was kicked off today where defending champions Jaffna Kings beat Colombo Strikers at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
After the grand opening ceremony of LPL season 4, Colombo Strikers skipper Niroshan Dickwella won the toss and asked Jaffna Kings to bat first.
Nishan Madushka and Rahmanullah Gurbaz came out as the openers for the Jaffna Kings. The partnership between the duo was just reduced to 27 where Naseem Shah has removed Gurbaz after hitting for a maximum, courtesy of a spectacular grab by Ramesh Mendis. Gurbaz has just started to cash in before being dismissed for 21 off 11 balls including 1 four & 2 sixes.
>>HIGHLIGHTS – Jaffna Kings vs Colombo Strikers – Lanka Premier League 2023 | Match 01<<
Madushka’s stay at the crease did not last long where he was run out for 12, with brilliant footwork by Chamika Karunaratne. Charith Asalanka too struggled to get going when he was hit that straight to long off fielder off Lakshan Sandakan for 12, reducing the Kings to 66/3 in 8.4 overs.
Priyamal Perera walked in to join Towhid Hridoy who is playing his first-ever overseas league. The duo stitched together in a 41-run partnership off just 26 deliveries, bringing some momentum to the innings. Matheesha Pathirana has made that breakthrough by dismissing Perera for 22, after hitting him for two consecutive boundaries.
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The Bangladeshi upcoming star, Hridoy has shown confidence with the bat and scored the first fifty in the LPL 2023. Chamika Karunaratne dismissed him for 54 which came off 39 balls including 4 fours & 1 six.
Some useful cameos from Dunith Wellalage (25*) and Skipper Thisara Perera (14*) helped Jaffna post 173/5 in their 20 overs. On the other hand, Naseem, Pathirana, Sandakan and Karunaratne have shared 4 wickets between them.
With chasing 174 to win, Skipper Niroshan Dickwella and Babar Azam walked in as the openers and Dickwella struck immediately against left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka, hitting 4,4,6 to finish the first over.
>>Photos – Jaffna Kings vs Colombo Strikers – Lanka Premier League 2023 | Match 01<<
After adding 34 runs to the opening wicket, Babar Azam became the first victim where the Jaffna Skipper Thisara Perera castled him for 8. Pathum Nissanka who came as the No.3 batter, has been removed by Hardus Viljoen for just 1.
The Skipper Dickwella went all gun blazing against the Kings’ bowlers and reached his fifty off just 27 balls. But he has not got enough support from the other end. From a position of 78/2, they were reduced to 87/5, including the wicket of Dickwella who scored 58 off 34 with 9 fours & 1 six.
Chamika Karunaratne (23) and Ramesh Mendis (17) failed to maintain the required rate. The Strikers were bowled out for 152 with just 2 balls to spare, handing a 21-run win for the Jaffna Kings.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth bowled perfectly in the middle overs and finished with 2/17, while Hardus Viljoen also picked up 3/31. Apart from them, Dilshan Madushanka has bagged a couple and the Skipper Perera has also scalped one.
>>LPL 2023<<
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nishan Madushka | run out (Chamika Karunaratne) | 12 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 92.31 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c Ramesh Mendis b Naseem Shah | 21 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 190.91 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Babar Azam b Lakshan Sandakan | 12 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Towhid Hridoy | c Naseem Shah b Chamika Karunaratne | 54 | 39 | 4 | 1 | 138.46 |
| Priyamal Perera | c Niroshan Dickwella b Matheesha Pathirana | 22 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 137.50 |
| Dunith Wellalage | not out | 25 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 108.70 |
| Thisara Perera | not out | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Extras | 13 (b 5 , lb 2 , nb 3, w 3, pen 0) |
| Total | 173/5 (20 Overs, RR: 8.65) |
| Fall of Wickets | 1-27 (2.5) Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2-42 (5.2) Nishan Madushka, 3-66 (8.4) Charith Asalanka, 4-107 (12.6) Priyamal Perera, 5-157 (18.3) Towhid Hridoy, |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naseem Shah | 3 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 10.00 | |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 6.00 | |
| Ramesh Mendis | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 4 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 8.00 | |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 4 | 0 | 36 | 1 | 9.00 | |
| Lakshan Sandakan | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 8.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niroshan Dickwella | c Vijayakanth Viyaskanth b Dilshan Madushanka | 58 | 34 | 9 | 1 | 170.59 |
| Babar Azam | b Thisara Perera | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 87.50 |
| Pathum Nissanka | c Avishka Fernando b Hardus Viljoen | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Nuwanidu Fernando | c & b Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | 17 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 121.43 |
| Mohammad Nawaz | c Dilshan Madushanka b Hardus Viljoen | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Yashodha Lanka | run out (Dunith Wellalage) | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 68.75 |
| Chamika Karunaratne | run out (Maheesh Theekshana) | 23 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 153.33 |
| Ramesh Mendis | c Avishka Fernando b Hardus Viljoen | 17 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 170.00 |
| Naseem Shah | st Avishka Fernando b Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Lakshan Sandakan | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | b Dilshan Madushanka | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 266.67 |
| Extras | 5 (b 4 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 152/10 (19.4 Overs, RR: 7.73) |
| Fall of Wickets | 1-33 (3.4) Babar Azam, 2-40 (4.3) Pathum Nissanka, 3-78 (8.5) Nuwanidu Fernando, 4-87 (10.3) Niroshan Dickwella, 5-87 (11.1) Mohammad Nawaz, 6-121 (15.5) Chamika Karunaratne, 7-128 (16.3) Yashodha Lanka, 8-128 (16.6) Naseem Shah, 9-143 (18.1) Ramesh Mendis, 10-152 (19.4) Matheesha Pathirana, |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilshan Madushanka | 2.4 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 7.50 | |
| Thisara Perera | 3 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 9.67 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 9.75 | |
| Hardus Viljoen | 4 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 7.75 | |
| Vijayakanth Viyaskanth | 4 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 4.25 | |
| Charith Asalanka | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6.00 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 | |
