Struggling sides Galle Gladiators and Kandy Tuskers will face off in the sixth match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2020) on Monday.
Both teams are placed at the bottom of the points table, with two losses in as many games.
Galle Gladiators were defeated in both games rather convincingly. They suffered a loss to Jaffna Stallions by eight wickets and another to Colombo Kings by 34 runs in a five-over shootout.
Meanwhile, Kandy Tuskers went down to Colombo Kings in the first match despite posting a huge 219 on the board, losing the match in the Super Over. Against Dambulla Viiking, they were a bit unlucky as rain hampered their chase. However, they could have sneaked through with some sensible batting.
Form Guide: Galle Gladiators
Skipper Shahid Afridi has stood out for Galle Gladiators even in losing causes. After putting up a good all-round effort in the first match, in which he smashed 58 from 23 and bowled his four overs for 20, he tried his best against Colombo Kings, giving away only 13 in front of a rampant Andre Russell. Perhaps, he got things wrong when he did not open the innings in the 5-over chase of 97.
Danushka Gunathilaka got 30s in both games, but he had two different batting partners in the two games, and both Chadwick Walton and Hazratullah Zazai failed. It remains to be seen whom Afridi backs in the crucial contest against Kandy Tuskers.
If a full game is played on Monday, Galle Gladiators will expect significant contributions from the likes of Azam Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Milinda Siriwardana.
Among the bowlers, experienced left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir was thrashed for 46 in his two overs as Russell went berserk. So, he will be keen to put up a better performance. Pacer Mohamed Shiraz has done a decent job while Asitha Fernando will need to raise his game after taking a pasting.
Form Guide: Kandy Tuskers
With better luck and smarter application, Kandy Tuskers could have won two in two. Instead, they lost both their matches and find themselves languishing in the points table.
Kandy Tuskers should never have allowed Colombo Kings to get up to 219 after having reduced them to 167 for 6. Against Dambulla Viiking, they could have won had they kept wickets in hand in a rain-marred game. Instead, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Kamindu Mendis played two poor shots that pushed Dambulla Viiking ahead on the D/L score.
Having said that, Kandy Tuskers can take some batting positives into the match against Galle Gladiators. Gurbaz has looked good in both matches while skipper Kusal Perera was brilliant against Colombo Kings. Kusal Mendis also began finding his feet against Dambulla Viiking when rain halted his march.
It is in the bowling that Kandy Tuskers will have to lift themselves. The experienced Nuwan Pradeep was taken for quite a few by Dambulla Viiking while Naveen-ul-Haq has been expensive while picking up wickets. Kavishka Anjula has been disappointing while Asela Gunaratne impressed with 2 for 20 in the last game.
Galle Gladiators vs Kandy Tuskers: Match Prediction
Although both sides head into the match winless, Kandy Tuskers are the stronger side on paper. While Galle Gladiators are heavily dependent on their skipper Afridi and left-arm pacer Amir, Kandy Tuskers have a few more match-winners in their kitty.
Gurbaz, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis and Gunaratne will be confident of putting up a good show. Even though Galle Gladiators are not blessed with great all-round talent, they could definitely make an impact if Afridi, Amir and Rajapaksa come good.
Predicted to win: Kandy Tuskers
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