COLOMBO: Defending champions Kandy Falcons secured a narrow two-wicket victory over Colombo Strikers in a tense Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 Eliminator here at R Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
The Falcons chased down the 160-run target on the fourth delivery of the penultimate over when Ramesh Mendis struck Dunith Wellalage for a four.
But the defending champions had to make hard yards in achieving the total as they lost eight wickets in the process.
The Falcons, after getting off to a dismal start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate and were consequently reduced to 83/6 in 10.2 overs.
However, a fighting partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka pulled the holders out of trouble and in touching distance of the victory.
The duo added an important 69 runs amid their seventh-wicket partnership that lasted with Shanaka’s dismissal on the last delivery of the 17th over.
Shanaka scored a brisk 39 off 21 deliveries, peppered with four fours and two sixes.
Mendis followed suit on the next delivery as he was cleaned up by Matheesha Pathirana, briefly after amassing his half-century.
He remained the top-scorer for the Falcons with a 36-ball 54, including three fours and as many sixes.
Binura Fernando and Pathirana took three wickets each for the Strikers while Shadab Khan and Isitha Wijesundara made one scalp each.
The Strikers, after being put into bat first, could register 159/8 on the board in their 20 overs despite Sadeera Samarawickrama’s half-century.
Samarawickrama took the reigns of Strikers’ batting expedition after coming out to bat in the sixth over with his side reeling at 42/3.
He waged a lone battle with a gutsy 62 off 45 deliveries until his departure in the final over.
Besides him, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (30) and Wellalage (28) made significant contributions.
Mohammad Hasnain was the star with the ball for the Falcons, picking up three wickets for 24 while skipper Wanindu Hasaranga claimed two wickets.
Defending champions Kandy Falcons will now take on Jaffna Kings in Qualifier 2 of the LPL 2024 in a bid to face Galle Marvels in the final on Sunday.
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