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Kusal Mendis Heroics set up Dambulla Aura’s thrilling win at Lanka Premier League
Kusal Mendis’s 46-ball 87 set up Dambulla Aura’s thrilling 10 runs win over Colombo Strikers in the eighth match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 worked off at Pallekele international stadium on Saturday (5).
After being invited to bat first, Dambulla Aura was struck with an early blow when they lost the wicket of Avishka Fernando cheaply.
However, despite a shaky start, Dambulla revived their innings with a clinical 120-run partnership between captain Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama for the second wicket.
Skipper Kusal Mendis leading from the front scored 87 off 46 before falling to Naseem Shah, while Samarawickrama scored 59 runs from 35 balls as both fell in successive overs.
At one stage it looked like Dambulla could go past the 200-run mark but a tight bowling effort towards the death overs denied such an opportunity as they were restricted to 192/6.
During the chase, Colombo Strikers were off to a similar start when they lost the first wicket that of their skipper Niroshan Dickwella with just 17 runs on the board.
Following an early breakthrough Pakistan star Babar Azam joined Pathum Nissanka in the middle and revived their innings to a certain extent with a 62-run partnership for the second wicket but it was cut short when Babar Azam was trapped LBW off Noor Ahmed’s bowling.
His partner Nissanka too failed to hang on as he departed for 22 runs.
With both st batters back in the pavilion Colombo strikers desperately needed someone to step up and change gears to aggressive mode was what exactly Nuwanindu Fernando did as he hammered unbeaten 56-runs which featured four boundaries and as many sixes to almost taking his team over the line.
Fernando glimmered a ray of hope for the Strikers to pull off the run chase with belligerent hitting but his efforts came up as his side succumbed to a 10-run defeat.
In the bowling front, Noor Ahmad claimed 2/34 while Dhananjaya de Silva and Hayden Kerr shared a wicket among them.
*Wanindu Hasaranga shine in B-Love Kandy’s thumping win over Jaffna Kings *
Meanwhile, in the other match played under lights between B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings, the latter thrashed defending champions by 8 wickets.
An all-round show by skipper Wanidu Hasaranga highlighted B-Love Kandy thumping win against three times Champions Jaffna Kings at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium.
Wanidu Hasaranga was named player of the match for his unbeaten 52 off 22 balls, 4-0-09-3 and two catches.
*Brief Scores: *
*Dambulla Aura vs Colombo Strikers *
Dambulla Aura 192/6 in 20 overs (Kusal Mendis 87, Sadeera Samarawickrema 59; Naseem Shah 2-29, Chamika Karunaratne 1-55, Matheesha Pathirana 3-31) beat Colombo Strikers 182/4 in 20 overs (Barbar Azam 41, Pathum Nissnaka 22, Nuwanidu Fernando 56, Chamika Karunaratne 20; Hayden Kerr 1-27, Dhananjaya de Silva 1-25, Noor Ahamad 2-34) by ten runs
B-Love Kandy Vs Jaffna Kings
Jaffna Kings 117/9 in 20 overs (David Miller 21, Priyamal Perera 22, Dunith Wellalage 38; Angelo Mathews 2-08, Wanidu Hasarana 3-09, Isuru Udana 1-17, Nuwan Pradeep 3-36) lost to B Love Kandy 118/2 in 13 overs (Fakhar Zaman 42, Dinesh Chandimal 22, Wanidu Hasaranga 52; Maheesh Theekshana 1-35, Nandre Burger 1-17) by eight wickets
ලංකා ප්රිමියර් ලීග් තරඟාවලියේ කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්ගේ දස්කම් නිසා දඹුල්ල කණ්ඩායමට තියුණු ජයක්.
2023 ලංකා ප්රිමියර් ලීග් (LPL) තරඟාවලියේ 8 වන තරඟයෙන් සෙනසුරාදා (5) පල්ලෙකැලේ ජාත්යන්තර ක්රීඩාංගනයේ දී ක්රියාත්මක වූ කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස්ගේ පන්දු 46 කදී ලකුණු 87 කින් දඹුල්ල අවුරා පිල කලම්බු ස්ට්රයිකර්ස් පිලට එරෙහිව ලකුණු 10 ක තියුණු ජයක් ලැබීය.
පළමුවෙන් පන්දුවට පහරදීමට ආරාධනා කිරීමෙන් අනතුරුව අවිශ්ක ප්රනාන්දුගේ කඩුල්ල දැවී යාමත් සමග දඹුල්ල අවුරා පිලට තරඟය ආරම්භයේදීම අපහසු විය.
කෙසේ වෙතත් ආරම්භය දෙදරා ගියද දඹුල්ල කණ්ඩායම සිය ඉනිමට පණ දුන්නේ නායක කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් සහ සධීර සමරවික්රම එක්ව දෙවැනි කඩුල්ල සඳහා ලකුණු 120ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූ බැවිනි.
එක් අවස්ථාවකදී දඹුල්ල පිලට ලකුණු 200 සීමාව පසුකර යා හැකි බව පෙනුනද, අවසන් ඕවරය දක්වා දැඩි පන්දු යැවීමක නිරත වීම නිසා ඔවුන් ලකුණු 192/6කට සීමා වීම නිසා එම අවස්ථාව අහිමි විය.
හඹා යාමේදී කලම්බු ස්ට්රයිකර්ස් පිලේ නායක නිරෝෂන් දික්වැල්ලගේ පළමු කඩුල්ල ලකුණු 17ක් පමණක් ලබා සිටියදී දැවී යන විටත් එවැනිම ආරම්භයක් ලබාගෙන සිටියේය.
ආරම්භක පිතිහරඹයකින් පසුව, පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක සමඟින් එක්ව දෙවැනි කඩුල්ලට ලකුණු 62ක සබඳතාවක් ගොඩනැගූ පාකිස්තානු ක්රීඩක බබාර් අසාම්, නූර් අහමඩ්ගේ පන්දුවකට කඩුල්ල මුවා කිරීමකට හසුවූ බබාර් අසාම් දැවී යාමත් සමඟින් ඔවුන්ගේ ඉනිම තරමක් දුරට අඩාල තත්වයකට පත් විය.
නුවනිඳු ප්රනාන්දු හතරේ පහර 4ක් සහ හයේ පහරවල් රැසක් සමඟින් නොදැවී ලකුණු 56ක් ලබා තම කණ්ඩායම උඩට ගෙන යාමටයි.
ප්රනාන්දු සටන්කාමී පහරවල් සමඟින් ලකුණු හඹා යාම සාර්ථක කර ගැනීමට ස්ට්රයිකර්ස් වෙත බලාපොරොත්තුවේ කිරණක් දැල්වූ නමුත් ඔහුගේ ප්රයත්නය ඉවත ගියේ ඔහුගේ කණ්ඩායම ලකුණු 10ක පරාජයකට පත්වීමත් සමඟය.
පන්දු යැවීමේ පෙරමුණේ නූර් අහමඩ් 2/34 ට හිමිකම් කියූ අතර ධනංජය ද සිල්වා සහ හේඩ්න් කර් ඔවුන් අතර කඩුල්ලක් බෙදා ගත්හ.
B-Love Kandy වෙතින් යාපනය කිංග්ස් පරදා වනිඳු හසරංග විශිෂ්ට ජයක්
මේ අතර, බී-ලව් මහනුවර සහ යාපනය කිංග්ස් අතර ආලෝකය යටතේ පැවැති අනෙක් තරගයෙන් කඩුලු 8 කින් වත්මන් ශූරයන් පරාජය කිරීමට අවසන් මහා ක්රීඩකයෝ සමත් වූහ.
නායක වනිදු හසරංග විසින් පල්ලෙකැලේ ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩාංගණයේදී තුන් වතාවක් ශූරයන් වූ යාපනය කිංග්ස් කණ්ඩායමට එරෙහිව B-Love Kandy හි පෙරළිකාර ජයග්රහණය ඉස්මතු කරන ලදී.
පන්දු 22කදී නොදැවී ලකුණු 52ක්, 4-0-09-3ක් සහ උඩපන්දු දෙකක් ලබාගත් වනිදු හසරංග තරගයේ වීරයා ලෙස නම් කෙරිණි.
සංක්ෂිප්ත ලකුණු:
දඹුල්ල අවුරා vs Colombo Strikers
දඹුල්ල අවුරා ඕවර 20 කදී 192/6 (කුසල් මෙන්ඩිස් 87, සධීර සමරවික්රම 59; නසීම් ෂා 2-29, චාමික කරුණාරත්න 1-55, මතීෂ පතිරණ 3-31) කලම්බු ස්ට්රයිකර්ස් 3-31, කලම්බු ස්ට්රයිකර්ස් 182/4 පැරදවීම ඕවර 20, පත්තම් නිස්නක 22, නුවනිදු ප්රනාන්දු 56, චාමික කරුණාරත්න 20, හේඩ්න් කර් 1-27, ධනංජය ද සිල්වා 1-25, නූර් අහමඩ් 2-34) ලකුණු දහයකින්
B-Love Kandy Vs Jaffna Kings
යාපනය කිංග්ස් ඕවර 20 කදී 117/9 (ඩේවිඩ් මිලර් 21, ප්රියමාල් පෙරේරා 22, දුනිත් වෙල්ලාලගේ 38; ඇන්ජලෝ මැතිව්ස් 2-08, වනිදු හසරණ 3-09, ඉසුරු උදාන 1-17, නුවන් ප්රදීප් 3-36) බී ලව් හමුවේ පරාජයට පත්විය. මහනුවර ඕවර 13 කදී 118/2 (ෆකාර් සමාන් 42, දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල් 22, වනිදු හසරංග 52; මහේෂ් තීක්ෂණ 1-35, නන්ද්රේ බර්ගර් 1-17) කඩුලු 8 කින්
Cricket
Sri Lanka name squads for full-format West Indies tour
Sri Lanka Cricket has announced the national squads for the upcoming multi-format tour of the West Indies, with selectors blending experienced campaigners and emerging talent across the Test, ODI and T20I squads.
The tour, which begins later this month, will feature white-ball and red-ball cricket, with the ODI series scheduled first before the teams move into the T20I and Test contests. The Sri Lankan squad is set to depart tomorrow, May 26, for what is expected to be a challenging overseas assignment in Caribbean conditions.
Senior batter Pathum Nissanka has been included in all three squads alongside wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis and all-rounder Kamindu Mendis, underlining their importance to Sri Lanka’s plans across formats.
In Test cricket, Dhananjaya de Silva will continue to lead the side, while Kamindu Mendis has been named vice-captain. The squad also includes experienced names such as Dinesh Chandimal, Prabath Jayasuriya and fast bowlers Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara.
Selectors have also rewarded several emerging players, with Lahiru Udara, Sonal Dinusha and Isitha Wijesundara earning places in the Test squad as Sri Lanka looks to build depth ahead of future international commitments.
For the ODI and T20I squads, Kusal Mendis has been entrusted with captaincy duties, while Kamindu Mendis will serve as deputy in both formats. The inclusion of power hitters such as Dasun Shanaka and explosive opener Lasith Croospulle signals Sri Lanka’s intention to adopt an aggressive approach in limited-overs cricket.
Spin will once again be spearheaded by Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage, while the pace attack features Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga and Binura Fernando.
The tour is expected to provide Sri Lanka with a crucial opportunity to test combinations in unfamiliar conditions against a traditionally strong Caribbean outfit. With several senior players returning alongside promising youngsters, selectors appear focused on balancing immediate success with long-term squad development.
Test Squad
Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis (Vice-Captain), Sonal Dinusha, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Isitha Wijesundara.
ODI Squad
Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Pavan Rathnayake, Kusal Mendis (Captain), Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis (Vice-Captain), Milan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan.
T20I Squad
Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Lasith Croospulle, Pavan Rathnayake, Kusal Mendis (Captain), Kamindu Mendis (Vice-Captain), Dasun Shanaka, Milan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara.
Cricket
New Zealand secure consolation win but Sri Lanka clinch series
New Zealand ‘A’ Women signed off their tour with a narrow five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka ‘A’ Women in the third and final T20 played at the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka secured the three-match series 2-1 after winning the opening two encounters convincingly.
Asked to bat first, Sri Lanka endured a disappointing outing with the bat and were bundled out for just 78 in 16.5 overs. The home side never recovered after losing early wickets, with only skipper Sathya Sandeepani and Sanjana Kavindi reaching double figures in the top order.
Kavindi struck 15 runs with three boundaries before falling to Jess Watkin, while Sandeepani battled for 16 off 23 deliveries. Sumudu Nisansala added 15 runs, but the Sri Lankan innings continued to crumble against disciplined New Zealand bowling.
Jess Watkin starred with the ball, producing an outstanding spell of 4 for 4 in 2.5 overs to rip through the middle and lower order. Kayley Knight claimed two wickets, while Fran Jonas, Bella Armstrong and Marama Downes chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing a modest target of 79, New Zealand also found batting difficult on the slow surface but managed to reach the target in 18.5 overs with five wickets in hand.
Prue Catton anchored the innings with an unbeaten 30 off 38 balls, holding the innings together after Sri Lanka struck regularly. Kate Anderson contributed 17 runs, while Kate Gaging remained unbeaten on seven at the finish.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers fought hard to defend the small total. Sachini Nisansala and Pramudi Methsara picked up two wickets each, while Chamudi Praboda accounted for New Zealand captain Jess Watkin.
However, Catton’s composed knock guided the visitors home as New Zealand earned a consolation win to end the tour on a positive note.
Cricket
KKR Bring in Luvnith Sisodia as Replacement for Injured Matheesha Pathirana
Kolkata Knight Riders have drafted in Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter Luvnith Sisodia as a replacement for Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of their crucial final league-stage fixture against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
Pathirana has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during KKR’s victory over Gujarat Titans last weekend. The Sri Lankan speedster, one of the franchise’s marquee signings at the auction, was bought for a massive INR 18 crore but endured an injury-plagued campaign.
The 23-year-old had already missed the early stages of the season due to a left calf injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s Super Eight campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Although he eventually joined the squad in mid-April after recovering, his comeback proved short-lived.
Making his first appearance for KKR against Gujarat Titans, Pathirana bowled just 1.2 overs before leaving the field in visible discomfort with a left hamstring problem. Subsequent medical assessments confirmed that he would take no further part in the tournament.
In response, KKR have turned to Luvnith Sisodia, a promising left-handed wicketkeeper-batter from Karnataka. Sisodia has featured in 13 T20 matches at the domestic level but is still awaiting his IPL debut.
The youngster is no stranger to the IPL environment, having previously spent time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru before being picked up by KKR during the 2025 mega auction. His inclusion also strengthens Kolkata’s wicketkeeping options following injuries to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was sidelined after suffering a concussion and finger fracture earlier in the campaign.
KKR’s playoff hopes remain slim but alive heading into their final round-robin encounter. The defending champions will first need Rajasthan Royals to lose against Mumbai Indians. Even then, Kolkata must secure a convincing victory over Delhi Capitals to improve their net run rate sufficiently and overtake Punjab Kings for a place in the Eliminator.
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