COLOMBO: Galle Gladiators’ bowlers annihilated Jaffna Kings’ batting line-up; dismissing them for 109 to power their side to the Play-offs of the Lanka Premier League (LPL).
The Kings, chasing 130, struggled throughout the innings, with none of their batter able to go deep. The side, eventually, bowled out for a paltry 109; losing the match by 20 runs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 21 off 15 balls, followed by the top-scorer for the Kings, Shoaib Malik, who score 23 off 27 balls.
Gladiators’s bowlers, on the other hand, were on song. Their combined bowling effort helped their side thump their opposition by 20 runs; booking their place in the play-offs. Noor Ahmed and Samit Patel, each dismissed two batters. Whereas, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, and Sahan Arachchige shared one wicket apiece.
Batting first, the Gladiators, too, could not make an impact with the bat; being able to score just 129/8 in their allotted 20 overs.
For Gladiators, Danushka Gunathilaka scored 19 off 32 balls, followed by their top-scorer of the match, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who scored 23 off 25 balls. Both the batters could smash only one boundary.
For the Kings, Wahab Riaz, Praveen Jayawickrama, and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth each bagged two wickets, while Shoaib Malik struck out a batter.
Following this victory, the Gladiators have booked their place in the play-offs, while the Kings have already qualified; finishing at top of the points table.
