COLOMBO: Mohammad Haris’s swashbuckling 81-run knock powered B-Love Kandy into the Lanka Premier League (LPL) playoffs with a thrilling eight-run victory over Jaffna Kings on Saturday.
With LPL 2023 playoffs berth at stake, B-Love Kandy put on an all-round show to edge holders Jaffna Kings by eight runs, thanks to a berserk 81-run knock by Haris and Angelo Mathews’s 3/10.
Opting to bat first, B-Love Kandy piled up a commendable total of 178/8 in 20 overs with wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris leading the way with a brilliant knock.
The opening batter dominated the Kings’ bowlers right from the start with the belligerent hitting before finally perishing in the 15th over.
Haris smashed 10 boundaries and two sixes on his way to top score for B-Love Kandy with a 51-ball 81.
Mohammad Haris’s opening partner Fakhar Zaman and veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews recorded the next best scores for B-Love Kandy, scoring 22 each.
Nuwan Thusara led the bowling attack for the Kings with 3/31, followed by two wickets each from Dunith Wellalage and Dilshan Madushanka.
Set to chase a daunting 179-run target, the Kings came up just eight runs short as they could accumulate 170/6 in the allotted overs despite Shoaib Malik’s gutsy half-century.
The Kings got off to a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost three wickets in quick succession.
Coming out to bat with his side reeling at 16/3 in the fifth, Shoaib Malik knitted an anchoring 35-run partnership with Chris Lynn, who could score 27 off 26 deliveries.
Malik was then joined by hard-hitting batter David Miller, who glimmered a ray of hope for the Kings with a brisk start but could not continue and fell to Isuru Udana in the 13th over.
He scored 24 off 16 deliveries, hitting four boundaries.
Kings’ captain Thisara Perera then joined Malik in the middle and stitched a vital 60-run partnership before Nuwan Pradeep dismissed him in the 18th over.
Perera’s dismissal was a major momentum booster for B-Love Kandy as he was breathing fire amid his brief yet crucial 20-ball 36. His knock featured two boundaries and two sixes.
The Kings missed the firepower in the death overs despite Shoaib Malik being set at the crease and they eventually fell a mere eight runs short of pulling a thrilling victory.
Malik remained unbeaten with his 37-ball 55, laced up with four boundaries and a six.
Angelo Mathews led the bowling attack for B-Love Kandy with 3/10 in his three overs while Pradeep had two to his name.
A narrow nine-run victory over Jaffna Kings propelled B-Love Kandy to book their spot in the LPL 2023 playoffs as they sit at the second position with eight points in six matches.
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