As it happened: Colombo Kings end Jaffna Stallions' winning streak

11:55 PM
That's it for today. Colombo Kings ascend to second position in the points table while Jaffna Stallions -- who still sit on top -- lose their unbeaten tag.
Join us tomorrow afternoon as Dambulla Viiking face the Galle Gladiators in the afternoon followed by Colombo Kings going up against Kandy Tuskers. 

11:51 PM
Dinesh Chandimal is the Man of the Match for his 68*(51) inclusive of 7 fours and 2 sixes. 

11:42 PM
It was the bowlers who set it up for Colombo Kings as they reduced Jaffna Stallions to 87 for 7 with Qais Ahmed (3 for 24) and Dushmantha Chameera (2 for 27) scything through the top order. Wanindu Hasaranga (41) put on a rescue act that got them to 148 that gave the Jaffna bowlers a fighting chance. 

Chandimal had an early scare off Binura Fernando but had little trouble thereafter, forging partnerships with Angelo Mathews (22) and Andre Russell (32) on his way to an unbeaten 68. 
The Jaffna Stallions spinners in particular never made it easy as Wanindu Hasaranga (2 for 23), his brother Chathuranga De Silva and young Vijayakanth Viyaskanth from Jaffna got into the act, hitting good areas and putting the batsmen under pressure. However, with a below-par total of 149 to chase, the Colombo Kings were able to play them out and take their chances against the quicks. The seven overs of pace that were bowled conceded 69 runs which offset any impact the spinners were making. 

11:36 PM
Colombo Kings win by 6 wickets

Chandimal sees Colombo home and ends Jaffna Stallions' unbeaten run. He cuts Dhananjaya De Silva to the fence to end up unbeaten on 68. A responsible that hands Colombo Kings their 3rd win of the tournament. 

11:35 PM
Tidy penultimate over from Chathuranga De Silva. He's gone at just five an over today. Thikshila De Silva skews one off the outside edge to get three off the last ball to leave Colombo needing just 3 to win from 6 balls. 

11:31 PM
Just 9 required off the last two overs. 
Chandimal (62) has been there from the start and has the chance to see it home. 

11:25 PM
One more six and gone. 
Andre Russell c Avishka Fernando b Chathuranga De Silva 32(20)

Russell continues to attack and De Silva gets pumped over long-off for a colossal six. He tries to go again but gets more height than distance and has to go but his takedown of Fernando last over has reduced the equation to a run-a-ball. 
Colombo Kings need 18 off 18. 
Chanidmal 59(44), T De Silva 0(1)

11:20 PM

Dinesh Chandimal however, has kept fighting on and has 57 off 41.  

11:19 PM

Soon to be 19 year old Vijayakanth Viyashkanth playing his first LPL game, took 1 wicket for 29 runs in his four overs. That wicket was Angelo Mathews, which he is celebrating here. 

11:18 PM
Qias Ahmed took 3 for 24 for the Colombo Kings

11:18 PM
Russell's had enough

He opens those shoulders of his and Binura Fernando is caught in the crossfire. The leg-spinners have finished their quota and Russell goes haaaard. 23 off the over including two murderous pulls to the mid-wicket boundary. Follows it up with some skimmers down the ground that nearly take out the bowler. 

Colombo Kings need 26 from 24 balls. 

11:17 PM
Here are some highlights from today's match so far... 

Wanindu Hasaranga scored 41 off 23 balls, as the Jaffna Stallions went from 87/7 to 148/9 in 20 overs

11:07 PM
Colombo Kings need 49 in 30 balls. The run rate has escalated but Colombo still favourites with Russell and Chandimal out there. 

Binura Fernando to bowl the 16th.

11:02 PM
Hasaranga and Viyaskanth have Russell in a spin. He's taken nine balls to get off the mark. Brilliant to see Viyaskanth holding his nerve against one of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball worldwide. He finishes his night with 1 for 29 off his 4 overs 

10:59 PM
Colombo Kings need 60 from 42 balls. 
Russell and Chanidmal at the crease with Ashan Priyanjan and Thikshila De Silva to follow. 

10:58 PM
Hasaranga finishes with 2 for 23 to follow up his rescue effort with the bat.
What a tournament he's having! 

10:57 PM
Russell survives! 

He's given out LBW to Hasaranga but reviews and it's found to be outside the line. 3 balls left in Hasaranga's spell. Colombo would do well to just play out these balls. 

10:55 PM
Fifty for Chandimal off 35 balls

10:54 PM
Russell walks in and Perera turns to Hasaranga

10:53 PM
Viyaskanth claims Mathews as his first victim!

A Mathews c Malik b Viyaskanth 22(24)

Mathews had struck him for a six the previous ball and he tries to go again. Shoaib Malik at long-off does a juggling act in-and-outside the rope but keeps his head and completes the catch. The 18 year-old has his first wicket and his figures read 1 for 23 after 3 overs. 

10:44 PM
Three singles and a Chandimal boundary from Viyaskanth's second over. 

Colombo Kings 75 for 2 at the halfway stage. 

10:38 PM
Colombo need 80 off 66 balls

D Chandimal 38(27), A Mathews 14(14)

Thisara Perera goes short to Mathews. Gets predictable after a while and Mathews slaps him for two fours in front of square. Perera doesn't quite possess the pace to be regularly bowling at that length. 

The teams take a strategic time-out. 

10:34 PM
Colombo Kings 59/2 in 8 overs
Dinesh Chandimal 36(26), Angelo Mathews 5(9)

A neat opening over for the boy from Jaffna. Just six from the over. 

10:31 PM
Here he is, 18 year-old Vijayakanth Viyaskanth to bowl his leggies.

10:30 PM
The asking rate isn't all that high. Mathews will know that he can take his time to settle in with Chandimal 

10:28 PM
Colombo Kings 50/2 in 6 overs.

Colombo Kings require 99 off 84 balls. 
Jaffna's best bowler this tournament, Hasaranga, has taken the two wickets but has only one over left in the bank. 

10:26 PM
Hasaranga gets another! 
Daniel Bell-Drummond lbw Hasaranga 0(3)

Another googly accounts for Bell-Drummond. He's on the front foot but he's beaten by the turn and caught right in front. 

10:22 PM
Dinesh Chandimal isn't holding back in the powerplay. Kyle Abbott -- back in the Jaffna Stallions' starting XI -- is greeted to two boundaries and a six on his return. 
Colombo Kings 43-1 in five overs.

Dinesh Chanidmal 26(18) , Daniel Bell-Drummond 0(2)

10:18 PM
England's Daniel Bell-Drummond in for his first knock of the tournament. 
He was the highest run-maker in England's Vitality Blast earlier this year 

Colombo Kings are 28 for 1 after 4 overs. 

10:17 PM
Bowled him! 
Laurie Evans b Hasaranga 14(10)
Perera gives Hasaranga his second in the powerplay and it seemed to be backfiring at first as Evans uses his feet to strike a four and six. Hasaranga hits back with a ripping googly that Evans fails to pick, leaving the ball with open access to the top of off-stump. 

10:08 PM
Only four runs off the over.

Colombo Kings 7/0 (2)

Laurie Evans 3(5), Dinesh Chandimal 2(7)

10:05 PM
A surprise as Hasaranga takes the new ball from the other end.

10:04 PM

Colombo Kings 3/0 in 1 over.

Testing opening over by left-armer Binura Fernando. 

10:03 PM
Chandimal survives by a whisker

Binura Fernando traps Chandimal in front and the umpire gives him out LBW. Fortunately for Chandimal he takes the option to review and Hawk-eye indicates that the ball pitched outside the line of leg-stump. Just about avoids getting his second duck in a row.

10:00 PM
Chandimal and Evans walk out to commence the chase. 

09:59 PM
Remember, Jaffna opted to rest Usman Shinwari and Duanne Olivier today, and Colombo Kings will back themselves to haul this down but they would have been expecting a more straightforward chase 30 minutes ago.

09:53 PM
Jaffna Stallions were 87 for 7 at one stage and looked in danger of being bowled out for double-digits but Wanindu Hasaranga kept his cool to take Jaffna all the way to 148 for 9 with his 41 off 23 balls. He was particularly severe on Isuru Udana who was all at sea against the innovative young all-rounder. 

Udana apart, the rest of the Colombo Kings bowler were splendid and executed their plans to a tee. 
Mathews and Russell went at only 3 and 4 runs per over respectively while Qais Ahmed (3-24) and Dushmantha Chameera (2/27) made important inroads into their opponents' batting order. 

09:48 PM
The Stallions end up with 148/9 in 20 overs 

Kyle Abbot 4(4), Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 3(4)

Six singles off the final over

09:46 PM
V Viyaskanth joins Kyle Abbott. One over to go with Jaffna 142/9.

Andre Russell to deliver the final over of the innings. 

09:44 PM
Mathews cleans up Hasaranga
Hasaranga b Mathews 41(23)

Hasaranga moves across the crease but Mathews gets it in the blockhole on leg-stump and he's bowled through his legs. Impressive death over from the Colombo skipper. 

09:42 PM
Mathews brings himself on. Hasaranga has put a wench in his plans. 

09:39 PM
Five boundaries in a row!

Udana had been relatively expensive already and Hasaranga takes him to pieces in his last over.

Manipulates the field expertly to take 22 runs off the over. 

Forget 140, Hasaranga may even take them up to 150-155. 

09:35 PM
Caught on the fence!
B Fernando c Evans b Udana 11(17)

Evans runs around at long-on and takes a good running catch. He's been in the thick of things today. 

09:33 PM
Hasaranga takes 13 off Qais. How much can he give his side to defend? 

09:28 PM
Qais Ahmed (3 for 11) is back at the bowling crease. 

09:27 PM
100 up for Jaffna in the 16th over.

Eight of the Isuru Udana over. It will be largely up to Hasaranga to get Jaffna Stallions up to something defendable. 

09:21 PM
Jaffna for 93/7 after 15 overs
Hasaranga 3(7) , B Fernando 4(10)

Russell keeps up the bouncer barrage. 

09:17 PM
A proper working over for Binura Fernando by Chameera. He's bowling with gas tonight.

Just 1 run off the over. 

09:15 PM
Jaffna Stallions 89/7 in 13.2 overs. 

Mathews continues to attack. The Kings are in no mood to release their grip on the Stallions. 

09:13 PM
Chameera raps Binura Fernando on the gloves. The batsman gets some medical attention. 

09:11 PM
Russell straight into the wickets column. Stallions 7 down

C De Silva c Chandimal b Russell 0(3)

Jaffna Stallions are in deep strife now. Chathuranga De Silva is rushed by a Russell bouncer and offers the simplest of chances to Dinesh Chandimal behind the sticks. 

Binura Fernando joins Hasaranga

09:05 PM
And Chameera sends Perera back

T Perera c Evans b Chameera 18(8)

Clear short ball ploy from Chameera to Perera and Hasaranga. Perera muscles a six off the first ball and then edges one over the keeper, but Chameera's persistence pays off. Perera is forced into an ungainly swat which loops up to Laurie Evans, who seems to lose sight of it momentarily but recovers to take it cleanly. 

09:00 PM
The spinners have been on a roll but Mathews chooses to bring back Dushmantha Chameera. 

09:00 PM
Jaffna Stallions 74/5 in 11 overs. 
Dhananjaya De Silva c Priyanjan b Kaushal 2(4). 
Thisara Perera 7(4) not out 

Perera opens his account by charging  Tharindu Kaushal and depositing him over the straight boundary.

De Silva is still new at the crease but opts for an ill-advised reverse-sweep that finds the man at short third-man. He will be very disappointed with that. 

08:54 PM
Halfway through Jaffna Stallions are in a spot of bother at 66 for 4.
Skipper Thisara Perera in at number 6. 

08:53 PM
Another one for Qais!

M Bhanuka c Bell-Drummond b Ahmed 21(24)

Qais Ahmed has picked up his third. Minod Bhanuka who hasn't been able to get going, pulls out the slog sweep but picks out the man on the boundary. 

08:48 PM
Bowled through the gate
S Malik b Ahmed 8(5)

Doesn't appear to be any more than a regulation leg-break but Malik plays all around it and is castled. 

08:47 PM
Jaffna Stallions 63/2 in 9 overs.

Kaushal and Ahmed bowling in tandem. Colombo Kings will be the happier of the two side so far. Jaffna Stallions have a long batting line-up, however, and boast enough firepower to catch up in the second half. 

08:42 PM
Shoaib Malik is the new man in. 

08:39 PM
Qais gets Fernando! 
A Fernando c Evans b Ahmed 26(23)

Qais Ahmed dangles the bait and Fernando cannot hold back. Tries to go downtown and is caught comfortably inside the rope by Laurie Evans. 

08:37 PM
Qais Ahmed to bowl his first. He isn't afraid to flight the ball. Could be a good contest between him and Fernando. 

08:35 PM
Jaffna Stallions 45/1 after 7 overs. 
Avishka Fernando 25(21), Minod Bhanuka 10(15)

Avishka Fernando goes to the top of the LPL run-charts with a couple of singles in that over by Kaushal. 

08:32 PM
Tharindu Kaushal into the attack and we have a review for LBW. 

It's hit Minod Bhanuka comfortably outside the line of the stumps, so Colombo lose their review. 

08:29 PM
Strong finish to the powerplay by Jaffna
At the end of six overs: Jaffna Stallions 39/1

Avishka Fernando takes a four and six off Isuru Udana. The first one driven wide of the sweeper on the off-side while the second is crunched down the ground. 

08:25 PM
The Kings have been spot on with their lengths in these first five overs. Chameera's second over costs just three runs 

Jaffna Stallions 27 for 1
Minod Bhanuka 7(10), Avishka Fernando 12(14)

08:21 PM
Change of ends for Chameera

08:20 PM
Jaffna 24/1 in 4 overs. 

Avishka Fernando gets his first six of the evening. Perhaps anticipating Isuru Udana's slower ball, he drops down on one knee and hoists this over the deep square-leg fence. 

08:15 PM
Jaffna Stallions 16/1in 3 overs : Avishka Fernando 3(8), Minod Bhanuka 5(4)

Angelo Mathews has been on the money with the new ball. Just four runs from his opening two. 
He has taken himself off after two overs in the previous games. Will he give himself a third tonight? 

08:08 PM
Six and out! 
J Charles c Bell-Drummond b Chameera 7(6)

Charles, off just his fifth ball, opens his front leg and tonks Chameera over long-on. He tries to go hard again but picks out Daniel Bell-Drummond at point. Early breakthrough for Chameera. 

08:04 PM
Tidy over to begin proceedings by Angelo Mathews. 

Jaffna Stallions 3/0 in 1 over. 
Johnson Charles 1(2), Avishka Fernando 1(4). 

07:44 PM
Jaffna Stallions (Playing XI): Thisara Perera (c), Avishka Fernando, Johnson Charles, Minod Bhanuka (wk), Shoaib Malik, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chaturanga de Silva, Binura Fernando, Kyle Abbott and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth

Making his debut for the Stallions is young wrist-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth from Jaffna. West Indies opener Johnson Charles too gets his first outing. 

Colombo Kings (Playing XI): Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal(wk), Laurie Evans, Thikshila de Silva, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Andre Russell, Ashan Priyanjan, Isuru Udana, Qais Ahmad, Dushmantha Chameera and Tharindu Kaushal
 

07:36 PM
Colombo Kings have won the toss and elected to bowl. 

Stallions skipper Thisara Perera says that his side have opted to rest a few of their players tonight and test out their bench-strength. 

Colombo Kings too have made a couple of changes. Bell-Drummond and Tharindu Kaushal in for Dhammika Prasad and Jeffrey Vandersay. 

07:33 PM
Jaffna Stallions are sitting pretty at the top of points table with four wins from as many games. Their opponents this evening, the Colombo Kings, are coming off a two day break and have recorded two wins out of three thus far. 

07:25 PM
Hello, and welcome to our live blog of the Lanka Premier League match between the Colombo Kings and the Jaffna Stallions.