Jaffna Kings won LPL 2021 championship title beating Galle Gladiators in a high-scoring final. The match took place at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota on Thursday.
Stars of Jaffna Kings
Avishka Fernando and Rahmanullah Gurbaz produced a strong opening stand for Kings. Fernando scored 63 runs off 41 balls while Gurbaz smashed 35 runs off just 18 balls. In addition, healthy contributions from other batters helped Kings put on a massive 201 runs on the board.
Not only the batters contributed to Kings’ win, but also the bowlers did. For instance, Wanindu Hasaranga struck twice in his first over to dismiss Danushka Gunathilaka and Ben Dunk. What was more important, Gunathilaka was batting superbly.
Gunathilaka remained a tragic hero
Danushka Gunathilaka could not win the final for his team despite making history in the final. The star opener of the Galle Gladiators made it to the record books with a brilliant half-century in the Lanka Premier League title clash. Shockingly for the Gladiators’ fans, his team lost to Jaffna Kings and lost the final.
Gunathilaka scored his personal half-century off just 19 balls in the final. This is the record for the fastest half-century scored by a batsman in a franchise T20 league final. In the event, he broke the record of Rilee Rossouw. The Proteas star scored a half-century off just 20 balls in the Pakistan Super League final this year. That was the fastest half-century in a franchise T20 League final match so far.
Jaffna Kings bagged second successive title
Kings guarded their total score with ease. In reply to Jaffna’s 201 runs for 3 wickets, Galle Gladiators managed to score 178 runs for 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. As a result, Jaffna Kings won the match by 23 runs to take home the LPL 2021 title for the second time in a row. Coincidentally, Gladiators also returned home as runners-up in both the occasions.
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