The second Qualifier of the Lanka Premier League 2022 went underway at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday. The Jaffna Kings had already made it to the final, and the Colombo Stars and Kandy Falcons competed for the last spot in the final. The Stars had beaten Galle Gladiators in the Eliminator to make it to the second Qualifier, while the Kandy Falcons were defeated by Jaffna Kings in the first Qualifier. Here is a round-up of the encounter between the Kandy Falcons and Colombo Stars.
Qualifier 2- Kandy Falcons vs Colombo Stars
Colombo Stars won the toss and went with the obvious choice to bowl first. This decision worked out well for them as Kasun Rajitha struck two wickets in the first over itself. He dismissed both the in-form openers, Pathum Nissanka and Andre Fletcher. After that, Kamindu Mendis (23) and Ashen Bandara (40) played small cameos, while captain Wanindu Hasaranga was the star of the show.
Hasaranga possibly played the best innings of his life, scoring 77 runs in just 34 balls with a strike rate of over 226. In his innings, he scored eight boundaries and hit three over the boundary rope. Thanks to his efforts, Falcons managed to get to 168/6 in their allotted 20 overs. For the Stars, Rajitha was the star with the ball, grabbing a four-wicket haul.
The Colombo Stars lost an early wicket during the chase, but Dinesh Chandimal and Charith Asalanka formed a crucial partnership of 90 runs that helped the team get back into the contest. Chandimal (38) was finally dismissed by Kamindu Mendis in the 13th over, but Asalanka went on to score 64 runs in 40 balls, with seven boundaries and three sixes.
In the end, Ravi Bopara and captain Angelo Matthews joined hands to take their team through the winning line. The two scored 29 and 21 runs, respectively, to chase down the target with six wickets and seven balls to spare.
With this win, Colombo Stars made it to the finals of the Lanka Premier League 2023. They will now face Jaffna Kings on the 23rd of December at the same venue, R Premadasa Stadium.
