Jaffna Kings defeated Kandy Warriors by 7 wickets (D/L method) in the rain-shortened 13th match of the Lanka Premier League 2021 played at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening.
Chasing a revised target of 95 runs in 10 overs, Jaffna reached the target with 8 balls to spare to record their second straight win over their Kandy counterparts.
Photos – Lanka Premier League 2021 | Jaffna Kings v Kandy Warriors | Match 12
Jaffna lost Upul Tharanga early in their chase but Avishka Fernando struck at a strike rate of 191 during his 12-ball 23. None of the Kandy bowlers looked like threatening the Jaffna batters. They were 52 for 3 when Tom Kohler-Cadmore was dismissed by leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage. However, the experienced duo of Shoaib Malik and Thisara Perera slammed quick-fire 14 and 29 respectively to make short work of the chase. Skipper Perera made 29 off 13 balls with 4 fours and a six.
The match had two rain interruptions after Jaffna Kings opted to chase. The first interruption came in when Kandy Warriors were 47 for 1 in 7 overs. The game was shortened to 16 overs per side following an 80-minute rain break.
Photos – Lanka Premier League 2021 | Kandy Warriors vs Jaffna Kings – Match 07
The game restarted at 4.50 pm local time but the rains returned when the Warriors were 94 for 2 in 12.2 overs. Due to the 56-minute interruption, Kandy innings ended as the game was shortened to 10 overs.
Despite losing Ahmed Shehzad for 22, Charith Asalanka guided Kandy Warriors with a fine 44 off 34 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes. Minod Bhanuka made 20 off 16 balls for Kandy Warriors while the Pakistani duo, Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik picked up one wicket each for Jaffna Kings.
With this win, Jaffna reached the top of the points table with 4 wins from 5 games. They’re currently on a 4-match winning streak.
 in the rain-shortened 13th match of the Lanka Premier League 2021 played at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening.){kind=link}