Galle Gladiators and Dambulla Giants join Jaffna Kings in play-offs

Phil Salt and Janith Liyanage shared a partnership of 90 for Dambulla Giants

 Kusal Mendis who top scored for Galle Gladiators gets runs on the leg side

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Galle Gladiators qualified for a place in the Lanka Premier League play-offs with a nine-run win over Dambulla Giants in the second double-header of the day played at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.

Galle, who had five points from six matches at the start of the match, made it seven from seven with the win to join Jaffna Kings and Dambulla Giants in the play-offs leaving Colombo Stars and Kandy Warriors to battle it out for the fourth and final spot.

Although Dambulla lost yesterday they still finished with a similar record as Galle with seven points from seven matches.

Dambulla were on course to chase down the target of 135 off 14 overs, when Phil Salt and Janith Liyanage were on song putting together a partnership of 90 for the second wicket after Niroshan Dickwella had been dismissed for a third ball duck. But from 90-1, Dambulla simply lost their way losing four wickets for 24 runs as Galle crawled their way back into the match.

Player of the Match Samit Patel got the vital wickets of Liyanage (51 off 37 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes) and Dasun Shanaka (1) off successive deliveries, and Isuru Udana who had accounted for Salt for 41 off 29 balls in his first spell, returned to bowl a crucial final over with Dambulla requiring 21. 

Udana crushed whatever hopes Dambulla had by having the dangerous looking Najibullah Zadran caught behind off the first ball and conceded only 11 runs off his remaining five deliveries to give Galle the victory and a place in the last four.

Galle’s innings of 134-6 came on the back of good contributions from Kusal Mendis (35 off 17 balls), and skipper Bhanuka Rajapaksa (33 off 20 balls) despite leg-spinner Imran Tahir upsetting their momentum time and again with vital wickets to end with figures of 3 for 20. Tahir was supported by Irish fast bowler Josh Little who took 2 for 29 in a game reduced to 14 overs a side due to rain.  

Scores

Galle Gladiators 134-7 (14) (Danushka Gunathilaka 22, Kusal Mendis 35, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 33, Josh Little 2/29, Imran Tahir 3/20)

Dambulla Giants 125-5 (14) (Phil Salt 41, Janith Liyanage 51, Samit Patel 2/24, Isuru Udana 2/30)