The league stage of the Lanka T10 Super League is done and dusted, but it didn’t go as expected, with 10 matches abandoned due to rain. Unfortunately, that's beyond anyone's control.
Jaffna Titans and Hambantota Bangla Tigers secured first and second spots, respectively and will clash in Qualifier 1 tomorrow. Meanwhile, Galle Marvels and Kandy Bolts, who finished third and fourth, will battle it out in the Eliminator right after Qualifier 1.
For now, it's me Deepak Prakash signing off on behalf of co-commentator Soumarya Dutta and scorer/analyst Raju Khariya. CHEERS!
Dasun Shanaka(Hambantota Banga Tigers Captain)- "Really happy with how the players played today. I have a lot of trust in my players and today I threw the ball to the youngsters who did well. I have played a lot of T10 tournaments and we also have some experienced guys in the squad so it was not a problem. We have been playing some good cricket with the bat and ball and hopefully we can continue it tomorrow and get to the finals."
Tharindu Ratnayake (Player of the Match): "It's a wonderful performance. I did my basics but it was very hard to bowl as the rain came in and the ball was wet. I can bowl with both hands so I had the chance to trouble the batters. It's a very happy moment and we are trying to do our basics."
Player of the Match: Tharindu Ratnayake
Power Hitter of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan
Catch of the Match: Chamindu Wickramasinghe
Game Flip Moment of the Match: Dasun Shanaka
Time for the post-match presentation....
10:41 PM IST, Local Time: Hambantota Bangla Tigers edged out Galle Marvels by 5 wickets and 4 balls to spare, securing the second spot. Galle Marvels did put up a good fight to defend 82 runs but lost momentum at the cue end of the match.
Earlier, after being invited to bat first, Galle Marvels were restricted to 82/6 in 10 overs. Hambantota Bangla Tigers’ bowlers hit the right areas and didn’t allow the batters to free their arms. The Marvels lost wickets regularly and were scoring nearly 6 runs per over but Shakib Al Hasan switched gears and scored rapidly after the 6 overs. The Bangladeshi veteran smashed an unbeaten 43 off 19 balls, helping propel the Marvels' total to over 80 runs. He was the only batter to score in double-digits for the Marvels. Tharindu Ratnayake and Sahan Arachchige claimed a couple of wickets each for the Hambantota Bangla Tigers, while Isuru Udana and Eshan Malinga celebrated a solitary wicket.
In pursuit of 82 runs, Hambantota Bangla Tigers got off to a lacklustre start and struggled to score runs in the first half of the chase. Mohammad Shahzad (13), Kennar Lewis (8), Kusal Perera (1), and Sahan Arachchige (2) departed cheaply, leaving their side in a spot of bother.
Dasun Shanaka chipped in with a cameo of 19 runs that put the batting back on track but the skipper failed to bat till the end, falling prey to his opposite number.
Mosaddek Hossain (20*) and Shevon Daniel (13*) paired up in the middle and ensured the Hambantota Bangla Tigers crossed the line without any further hiccups.
Jeffrey Vandersay and Binura Fernando bagged a couple of wickets for the Marvels, while Maheesh Theekshana celebrated a solitary wicket.