Stars stun Falcons to make LPL final

The experienced hands of Ravi Bopara and Angelo Mathews led the Colombo Stars to a stunning six-wicket win over the Kandy Falcons at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday after Charith Asalanka set the Stars up for success with a valuable half-century. 

For the Falcons, who lost just one match in the group stage, it was a disappointing end to a campaign that promised to deliver their first LPL title, squandering two chances in the play-offs to make today’s final. 

The Stars will now play their third match in as many days in the final, but the reward, if they win it, would make them the first franchise outside of Jaffna to win a LPL title.

Asalanka hit seven boundaries and three sixes and found an equally determined partner in Dinesh Chandimal, with whom he put on a 90-run partnership. 

When Chandimal was dismissed for 38, the Stars were sitting pretty on 103 in 12.3 overs, a further 66 needed in 45 balls. 

Asalanka’s run out two overs later gave the Falcons a glimmer of hope, a position that appeared to be strengthen when Dominic Drakes was removed in the next over. 

But Bopara and Mathews, as they have done all through this tournament, made important middle over runs to see the Stars across the line. 

The turning point came in the 18th over, bowled by Falcons’ captain Wanindu Hasaranga, when Mathews cleared the leg spinner thrice over the boundary – reducing the equation that read a tough 30 off 18 at the start of the over to a much easier 10 off two overs. 

Earlier, Hasaranga took it upon himself to fashion a comeback, scoring an unbeaten 77 off 34 balls to get Kandy’s innings back on track after they were reduced to 42 for 3 in eight overs. 

The last of those wickets were of Kamindu Mendis, which ended a 38-run recovery partnership with Ashen Bandara -- a recovery necessitated by Kasun Rajitha striking twice in the opening over of the innings removing Pethum Nissanka and Andre Fletcher with just four runs on the board. 

Hasaranga struck three sixes and eight fours and accounted for 64 runs in his 92-run fourth-wicket partnership with Bandara.

A boundary and a six from Carlos Brathwaite, who chipped in with 15 off 5, took the Falcons to 168 for 6 in their 20 overs. Instrumental to the Stars’ bowling efforts was Kasun Rajitha, who took 4 for 20 in his four overs, supported by an almost as miserly Suranga Lakmal, though he went wicketless in his four overs. 

Scores:
Kandy Falcons 168 for 6 in 20 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 77 n.o., Ashen Bandara 40, Kasun Rajitha 4 for 20)
Colombo Stars 169 for 4 in 20 overs (Charith Asalanka 64, Dinesh Chandimal 38, Ravi Bopara 29 n.o., Angelo Mathews 21 n.o, Kamindu Mendis 2 for 26)