Table toppers Kandy weakened by exit of Captain/Acting Captain

Player of the Match against Dambulla, Galle’s Acting Captain Dunith Wellalage receives his award from Match Referee Shihabdeen Faumi

Table toppers Kandy already without their appointed Captain Pathum Nissanka will also lose their Acting Captain Niroshan Dickwella when they take on defending champions Dambulla in their final National Super League 50-over match at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota tomorrow (Sunday).

Dickwella led Kandy in the absence of Nissanka in their first three matches and has taken them to the top of the table with two wins from three matches and his own contributions with the bat – back to back fifties against Jaffna (53) and Colombo (50) has earned him a recall to the Sri Lanka T20I side in Bangladesh as a replacement for indisposed Kusal Perera.

For tomorrow’s final match Ahan Wickramasinghe will lead Kandy in what could be a crucial fixture for them as they need a win to retain top position. One advantage that Kandy has over the other four sides is that they have a healthy plus net run rate compared to the rest whose net run rates are minus.

Second placed Dambulla, Jaffna (third) and Galle (fifth) all have two matches to play and are well placed to qualify for a place in the final. The top two teams in the standings will play in the final on 9 March at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

The tournament will now move from Pallekele and Dambulla which staged the first six matches to Colombo (R. Premadasa Stadium) and Hambantota for the remaining five games.

In the other match on Sunday, Jaffna takes on Galle at the R. Premadasa Stadium. Colombo who like Kandy have only one match to play have a free weekend. – (ST)