Battle for top two spots today

Jaffna acting captain Janith Liyanage receives the Player of the Match award against Galle from Match Referee Mangala Jayasena

Sonal Dinusha of Dambulla receives the Player of the Match award against Kandy from Match Referee Ranjith Priyantha 

With Kandy having completed all their matches and perched on top of the table with four points and a healthy net run rate of +0.791, it is left to the second and third placed teams Dambulla and Jaffna who also have four points each to battle it out for a place in the final of the National Super League 50-over tournament.

Defending champions Dambulla plays Jaffna in a crucial fixture at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, Hambantota today. A win for either team will push them right to the top of the table with six points which gives them entry into the final.

The second placed team who will join them will be decided between Kandy and the losing side who will finish jointly on four points. The side with the better net run rate will finish second and qualify for the final.

In the other match today wooden spoonists Colombo and Galle also have an outside chance of finishing second in the standings and making it to the final, but their task has been made difficult because they both have minus net run rates. A win for either team will tie them on four points with Kandy and the losers of the Dambulla-Jaffna game. The net run rate will then come into play.

The final, a day-night game is scheduled for 9 March at the R. Premadasa Stadium. (ST)