Lanka Premier League Final Jaffna Kings, Galle Gladiators in final showdown for supremacy

By M. Shamil Amit Reporting from Sooriyawewa

The Thisara Perera-led Jaffna Kings will take on the Galle Gladiators, captained by Bhanuka Rajapaksa, in the final of the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) at the Sooriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota today.   
Today’s final will be a rematch of the title decider of the first edition of the tournament, where Jaffna, then under a different ownership and known as the Stallions, beat the Gladiators to become the LPL’s first champion. The final will begin at 7:30 p.m.   

The Stars and the Gladiators finished as the two best teams of the LPL, with the former topping the table with just six wins and two defeats. Incidentally, the two defeats were suffered at the hands of the Gladiators, who beat the Stars a third time in Qualifier 1 of the Playoffs.   

The Kings bounced back from that defeat to score 210 against the Dambulla Giants on Tuesday, the highest total of the tournament so far, to qualify for the final.   

That win was crafted thanks to a century by Avishka Fernando, the first of this season, and a quick-fire 70 from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, after which the Giants could not get any momentum in the run chase.   

The Jaffna franchise have also benefited from the output of Tom Kohler-Cadmore who, along with Avishka Fernando, is among the top five scorers of the tournament so far. Two places down on that list is Thisara Perera, the Kings’ captain, who has been striking at a rate of 190.   

The Kings have been heavily reliant on spinners Maheesh Theekshana, the joint highest wicket taker of the tournament, and Wanindu Hasaranga, utilizing them right through from the Powerplay, but have also been buoyed by West Indian fast bowler Jayden Seales, who has taken one less wicket that Theekshana in the tournament so far.   

For the Gladiators, the turnaround has been remarkable, having barely scrapped into the semi-finals of the first edition of the LPL.   

This year their passage into the knockout round has been more assured, finishing second with a psychological edge over the Kings, having not lost to the defending champions yet.   

Key for the Gladiators has been all-rounder Samit Patel, who is tied atop the wicket-takers list along with Theekshana, though proving to be slightly more economical. Nuwan Thushara also features highly on that list with 11 wickets.   

Their runs have mainly come from the bat of Kusal Mendis, the second best batter of the tournament with 288 in nine innings, who is only 13 runs behind the leading run scorer Phil Salt of the Dambulla Giants.   

Opener Danushka Gunathilaka hasn’t quite been at his best this season, having led all scorers last year, but still has made a significant contribution of 172 in nine matches.   

The Teams:
Jaffna Kings – Thisara Perera (Capt), Avishka Fernando, Tom Kehler-Cadmore, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Suranga Lakmal, Jayden Seales, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Chathuranga de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Upul Tharanga, Ashen Bandara, Sammu Ashan, Krishan Sanjula, Theivendran Dinoshan, Chamika Gunasekera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Ashan Randika, Rathnaraja Thanuradan, Usman Shinwari, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.   
Galle Gladiators – Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Capt), Kusal Mendis, Dhanushka Ginatileke, Ben Dunk, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Lahiru Madusanka, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir, Samit Patel, Pulina Tharanga, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Thushara, Anwar Ali, Ashian Daniel, Angelo Jayasinghe, Kevin Koththigoda, Suminda Lakshan, Pramod Madushan, Mohamed Shamaaz, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Noor Ahmad.