4
1
0
0
1
1
= 7
Match Details
GG vs JK, Final T20, LPL 2026 summary
GG
126-5(15.5)
Galle Gallants won by 5 wickets 🏆
JK
(19.3)123-10
+
P'ship : 23(14)
Commentary
All
Highlights
Overs
W
6s
4s
Inn 1
Inn 2
Milestone
Cricket does not stop, and neither do we. Do stick around with CREX as we will bring you all the updates on all the cricketing action going around. For now, this is Saptak Sanyal signing off on behalf of my co-commentators, Mohammad Anab and Abhishek Sharma. Special mentions to our scorer, Manish Bishnoi, and statistician, Aman. Take care. Good night.
The 22-day-long T20 carnival of Sri Lanka comes to a close, but plenty of exciting T20 action is going around. Both the Men's and Women's Hundred are going on. Caribbean Premier League has just started. The European T20 Premier League is scheduled to launch later in August.
LPL 2026 season opener was a repeat of the last edition's final. Galle-based franchise locked horns with the defending champions Jaffna Kings and avenged that sour defeat with a victory. The script remained the same in the final as the Gallants came out triumphant.
CRICKET IS A GREAT LEVELLER! Three days ago, Jaffna Kings posted a whopping total of 242 against the Galle Gallants in the first qualifier and defeated them by 14 runs to qualify for the final. Gallants defeated them twice in the group stage but that defeat dented their pride but you know, a wounded tiger is more dangerous. Gallants defeated Colombo Kaps in the second qualifier yesterday and in the most crucial game of the tournament, in the summit clash of the tournament, they outplayed them in all facets of the game to clinch the silverware.
Dasun Shanaka collects the glittering Lanka Premier League 2026 trophy. Galle Gallants have won their first title in the LPL history. They finished as runner-up thrice on previous editions but the fortune turned in their favour this year. Shanaka joins his teammates and they pose for photographs.
Dasun Shanaka (Galle Gallants Captain): "(Was it a good toss to lose?) Sir, we actually wanted to bowl first, so there was nothing different for us in terms of batting or bowling. I thought the wicket was a really good one. In the first powerplay, I thought Tharindu Ratnayake bowled really well. That was the key, especially starting with Charith Asalanka. He gave us the cushion we needed by picking up a couple of wickets up front.
(On the strategy to start with spin) Obviously, there was the left-hander factor. But what I thought was that we're going into the back end of the tournament, so we needed to change our plans. Changing your plans is always tricky, but at the same time, it can bring good rewards.
It was a gamble, but the coach, myself and vice-captain Charith took that gamble, and it worked out for us. Our whole unit was amazing. We had a lot of variety in our bowling, with plenty of bowlers who could contribute. We also had our top-five batters among the runs, so it was a really good team performance.
(On the squad) Coming into the tournament, at the draft, what I targeted was bringing in experienced players. From the first game, we showed the experience and quality within the team, and that was important. And not to forget Sam Harper. A lot of people had doubts about him, asking, "Who is this guy?" But he's been outstanding for the Galle team. Hopefully, he'll join us again in the coming years as well. I think he's been magnificent.
(Thoughts on LPL 2026) Year by year, the quality has grown. Special thanks to Sri Lanka Cricket and IPG—we have a lot of gratitude towards them. Despite a lot of obstacles, they managed to hold the tournament this year. The quality has been amazing, the wickets have been excellent, and the ground staff have done a fantastic job.
And to all the fans who supported the Galle team and the other teams as well, thank you very much for coming today and supporting the tournament. We expect a lot more in the future. Thank you very much to each and every one of you. Not to forget my coaching staff. They have been amazing. Thank you very much"
(On the strategy to start with spin) Obviously, there was the left-hander factor. But what I thought was that we're going into the back end of the tournament, so we needed to change our plans. Changing your plans is always tricky, but at the same time, it can bring good rewards.
It was a gamble, but the coach, myself and vice-captain Charith took that gamble, and it worked out for us. Our whole unit was amazing. We had a lot of variety in our bowling, with plenty of bowlers who could contribute. We also had our top-five batters among the runs, so it was a really good team performance.
(On the squad) Coming into the tournament, at the draft, what I targeted was bringing in experienced players. From the first game, we showed the experience and quality within the team, and that was important. And not to forget Sam Harper. A lot of people had doubts about him, asking, "Who is this guy?" But he's been outstanding for the Galle team. Hopefully, he'll join us again in the coming years as well. I think he's been magnificent.
(Thoughts on LPL 2026) Year by year, the quality has grown. Special thanks to Sri Lanka Cricket and IPG—we have a lot of gratitude towards them. Despite a lot of obstacles, they managed to hold the tournament this year. The quality has been amazing, the wickets have been excellent, and the ground staff have done a fantastic job.
And to all the fans who supported the Galle team and the other teams as well, thank you very much for coming today and supporting the tournament. We expect a lot more in the future. Thank you very much to each and every one of you. Not to forget my coaching staff. They have been amazing. Thank you very much"
Galle Gallants' cricketers are now coming to the podium to receive their winner's medals.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa (Jaffna Kings Captain): "(Thoughts on the loss) Of course, it has been a tough journey, but we have to give a lot of credit for the effort that the boys have put in. It was never easy, but I'm still quite happy with the way they performed, except for today.
(Insights on the batting failure) I think credit should go to the bowlers from the Galle Gallants because they executed their plans properly against our batsmen. After coming off a defeat against us and then facing us again in the final, I think they executed all their plans brilliantly. So credit should go to them. I think we were about 20–30 runs short in the final, but it was a brilliant effort by the bowlers from the Galle Gallants.
(Thoughts on how the surface played today) Of course, we can easily blame the surface when we don't score more than 171 or 180 in a final. But, of course, they bowled brilliantly. At the same time, I don't think we can ignore the fact that we didn't bat well either. But that's how cricket goes. The team that performs well in a final and rises to the occasion always comes out on top.
(Final thoughts on LPL 2026) It's been a fabulous tournament throughout, and I need to thank IPG and the sports governing body, especially because for us, Jaffna, until two days ago, we didn't have quite the owners. But the effort that IPG put in to keep the team together, and the way the support staff also cooperated with the overseas players, has been amazing.
I think the LPL is growing every day, so hopefully we can see a much better tournament next year as well."
(Insights on the batting failure) I think credit should go to the bowlers from the Galle Gallants because they executed their plans properly against our batsmen. After coming off a defeat against us and then facing us again in the final, I think they executed all their plans brilliantly. So credit should go to them. I think we were about 20–30 runs short in the final, but it was a brilliant effort by the bowlers from the Galle Gallants.
(Thoughts on how the surface played today) Of course, we can easily blame the surface when we don't score more than 171 or 180 in a final. But, of course, they bowled brilliantly. At the same time, I don't think we can ignore the fact that we didn't bat well either. But that's how cricket goes. The team that performs well in a final and rises to the occasion always comes out on top.
(Final thoughts on LPL 2026) It's been a fabulous tournament throughout, and I need to thank IPG and the sports governing body, especially because for us, Jaffna, until two days ago, we didn't have quite the owners. But the effort that IPG put in to keep the team together, and the way the support staff also cooperated with the overseas players, has been amazing.
I think the LPL is growing every day, so hopefully we can see a much better tournament next year as well."
Jaffna Kings cricketers walk up to the podium one by one to receive their runner-up medals.
Player of the Tournament: Kamil Mishara
Commentary