Lanka Premier League 2021 - Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings: Probable XIs, match prediction, weather forecast, pitch report and live streaming details
The second qualifier of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) sees the Dambulla Giants lock horns with the Jaffna Kings at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota.
The Dambulla Giants finished the league stage in fourth position. They defeated the Colombo Stars in the Eliminator to seal a berth in the second qualifier. Batting first, the Stars batters failed to adapt to the conditions as the Giants bowlers bowled brilliantly to restrict them to 145.
The Giants, however, had a shaky start to the run chase, losing Niroshan Dickwella on the very first ball. But other batters stepped up as they chased down the total with seven balls to spare. The Giants did lose four wickets but bounced back strongly to knock the Stars out of the competition.
The Jaffna Kings, meanwhile, suffered a heavy loss against the Galle Gladiators. They had a chance to directly qualify for the final but lost to the Gladiators and will face the Dambulla Giants in the second qualifier. The winner of the upcoming clash will face Galle Gladiators in the final on Thursday.
Jaffna Kings skipper Thisara Perera won the toss and opted to bowl first in the first qualifier. The decision backfired as the Gladiators posted 188 on the board, losing five wickets.
Only two batters got into the double digits as the Kings faltered in the chase, getting knocked over on 124. The Kings ultimately lost the game by 64 runs and will hope for a turnaround in their fortunes in the second qualifier.
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings Match Details:
Match: Dambulla Giants vs Galle Gladiators, Qualifier 2, Lanka Premier League 2021
Date and Time: December 21st 2021, Tuesday, 07:30 PM IST
Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings Pitch Report
The pitch at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium is a balanced track for batting. The new ball comes nicely onto the bat and the batters enjoy batting on this surface. The surface is expected to stay true throughout the course of the match.
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings Weather Forecast
The temperature in Hambantota is expected to hover between 23 and 31 degrees Celsius. We might witness rain interruptions during the course of the match.
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings Probable XIs
Dambulla Giants
Nuwan Pradeep and Imran Tahir picked up two wickets each in their last match to restrict the Stars to 145. Janith Liyanage scored a fifty and he was well-supported by the other batters as they chased down the total in the 19th over.
Probable XI
Niroshan Dickwella (c & wk), Philip Salt, Janith Liyanage, Sandun Weerakkody, Najibullah Zadran, Chamika Karunaratne, Ramesh Mendis, Sachitha Jayathilake, Joshua Little, Imran Tahir, Nuwan Pradeep
Jaffna Kings
Wahab Riaz and Thisara Perera each had two scalps but failed to pick up regular wickets as the Gladiators posted 188 in their 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (59) and Wanindu Hasaranga (29) only managed to get into double digits as they were bundled out on 124.
Probable XI
Avishka Fernando, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ashen Bandara, Shoaib Malik, Thisara Perera (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chaturanga de Silva, Wahab Riaz, Suranga Lakmal, Maheesh Theekshana
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings Match Prediction
The Dambulla Giants defeated the Colombo Stars in the Eliminator to stay alive in the competition. The Jaffna Kings, on the other hand, lost to the Galle Gladiators in the first qualifier and have another chance to make it to the final.
The Dambulla Giants have a good balance to their side and are expected to come out on top on Tuesday.
Prediction: Dambulla Giants to win this encounter.
Dambulla Giants vs Jaffna Kings live telecast details and channel list
TV: Sony Sports Network
Live Streaming: Sony LIV