And, that will be a wrap from us for this game. But don't worry, the action comes thick and fast at this year's LPL, with Colombo Stars taking on Kandy Falcons in a few minutes' time. Till then, this is me (Shashwat) on behalf of Ranjith, signing off. Goodbye, take care!
Thisara Perera, Jaffna Kings captain: I am trusting my bowlers because I feel this wicket was a little sticky. I know I have wonderful bowlers. (On the pressure of being defending champions) This is another tournament and we are going game by game.
Kusal Mendis, Galle Gladiators captain: (Where did it go wrong) Opening partnership was good but after that we lost a lot of wickets. That is why we made 138 look like a big score. Earlier, it was easy to bat against the new ball. As the ball got old, it was tough to play normal shots. The wicket was a little slow and that is why we lost wickets in the middle.
Dunith Wellalage, Player of the Match: (On your performance) I was trying to play my normal game. My teammates gave me great support, as did my team management. I tried to keep things simple. The wicket was turning so I always tried to do my normal bowling.
Right. Time for the post-match presentation.
6:45pm Phew, that was some game! It ebbed and flowed throughout and up until the final five overs, it was anybody's game. The Gladiators were perhaps better in both powerplays and in the death overs of the first innings. But when it mattered, especially in the middle overs of the run-chase, the Kings came up trumps. They rode on their young spin duo of Viyaskanth and Wellalage, who caused the Gladiators all sorts of problems with their flight, drift and dip. The wicket also aided their endeavours and once Theekshana came back to outwit Mendis in the 16th over, the writing was on the wall for last year's runners-up. This contest, if anything, proved why the Jaffna Kings have won two LPL titles on the bounce and how they are equipped to win different types of games. Word has to go out to Wellalage too, whose cameo in the first innings possibly ended up being the difference today.
As for the Gladiators, there were plenty of positives, most notably how they bowled and how Mendis batted, despite being up against a turning track. Their bowling unit also did largely well, with Imad Wasim and Wahab among the wickets. On the night, though, it was not enough.
4:46pm A bit of a damp squib, as far as the Kings are concerned. They were rocked early, and took time to recover from the twin dismissals of Avishka and Gurbaz. de Silva, though, looked good for his 19-ball 29 and threatened to take the game away from the Gladiators, only to fall at the worst possible juncture. The Kings had to rebuild again and just when it felt that they would maximise the death, courtesy of Malik and Wellalage, wickets fell in a heap.
The Gladiators, to their credit, ensured that they never let the game get away. They kept picking up wickets and bowled superbly at the death. The pitch did play a bit sluggishly, meaning that the Kings are not completely out of it. But with only 138 to chase, you'd rather be in the Gladiators' camp than in the Kings dugout. Join us in a bit for the run-chase!
Imad Wasim: (On the performance) We bowled really well, fielded really well and hopefully we can chase it down. The wicket was a bit tacky and I thought 140 is a decent score. Now, the ball is coming onto the bat and I bowled well, although I was not happy with a couple of balls I bowled. (On Wahab Riaz) He is happy. Bowling from short run-up and bowling quickly. The conditions helped us. The first six overs are crucial and we are really happy with how we started.
V Viyaskanth b Thushara 4 (4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100.00
Thushara to bowl the final over. Can the Kings get to 140?
END OF OVER:19 | 3 Runs 1 Wkt | JK: 133/9 | RR: 7.00
- Binura Fernando2 (2b)
- Vijayakanth Viyaskanth1 (1b)
- Nuwan Pradeep4-0-23-2
- Wahab Riaz4-0-23-2
Binura Fernando is the last man in
M Theekshana c Fernando b Pradeep 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Two new batters at the crease. Viyaskanth will be on strike for the penultimate over. Theekshana will be at the other end
END OF OVER:18 | 10 Runs 1 Wkt | JK: 130/8 | RR: 7.22
- Vijayakanth Viyaskanth0 (0b)
- Wahab Riaz4-0-23-2
- Iftikhar Ahmed1-0-8-2
DN Wellalage c †Azam Khan b Wahab Riaz 30 (20b 4x4 0x6) SR: 150.00
Wahab Riaz to bowl out. Will Wellalage look to play him out, and possibly farm the strike?
END OF OVER:17 | 8 Runs 2 Wkts | JK: 120/7 | RR: 7.05
- Dunith Wellalage20 (14b)
- Iftikhar Ahmed1-0-8-2
- Nuwan Pradeep3-0-20-1
JK Fuller c Fernando b Iftikhar Ahmed 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50.00
A vital wicket in the context of the game, and a wicket that has brought Fuller out to the centre
Shoaib Malik c & b Iftikhar Ahmed 30 (27b 2x4 0x6) SR: 111.11
Oh, hello. Iftikhar Ahmed to bowl the 17th over. Risky move?
The Kings are much better placed at the second timeout than they were at the first. If they get a good finish from here, they could even breach the 160-run mark, which has not looked likely for large stretches this innings. A massive passage of play coming up