Wellalage’s three in eight balls sends Jaffna top of the LPL
Kandy Royals were 91 for 2 chasing 222 at Pallekele. Dunith Wellalage then bowled two overs, took three for 11, and Jaffna Kings won by 21 runs to go top of the table.
Jul 31, 2026
Kandy Royals put Jaffna Kings in at Pallekele on Thursday night, watched them make 221 for 6, and then went after it like a side that fancied the chase. At 91 for 2 inside eight overs they were ahead of the rate. They still lost by 21 runs, and Jaffna went to the top of the Lanka Premier League table with a playoff place already banked.
Mishara and Fernando set it, Wickramasinghe finished it
Kamil Mishara made 49 from 26 balls before Kusal Perera stumped him off Moeen Ali, and Avishka Fernando hit 36 from 22 at the other end. That is the second time in a week the pair have given Jaffna a start Kandy could not contain.
The middle of the innings was slower. Ibrahim Zadran went for 8, Bhanuka Rajapaksa for 7, both bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga, and Towhid Hridoy made 21 from 16. Then Chamindu Wickramasinghe came in and hit 43 from 15 balls, which is the innings that turned a good total into an awkward one. Shakib Al Hasan finished 22 not out and Dunith Wellalage 16 not out from nine balls, and 19 extras did the rest.
Hasaranga and Moeen took two wickets each. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Nuwan Thushara went for 43 apiece without taking one, which is not a line either of them will want to look at twice. Wickramasinghe took the player of the match award and said he had been given a chance and wanted to take it.
Kandy were ahead of the rate and then lost their way
Lahiru Igalagamage hit 30 from 15 and Pawan Sandesh 48 from 21, and Kandy were 91 for 2 after 7.1 overs. Chasing 222, that is the start you need.
Shakib bowled Igalagamage and Perera, Zahoor Khan bowled Sandesh, and once the openers were gone Kandy needed someone to bat through. Nobody did. Shaheen Afridi made 24 from 14 and Hasaranga 24 from 12, both useful, neither long enough.
Wellalage bowled two overs and took three wickets
Wellalage’s spell was the difference. He bowled Dale Phillips, had Afridi caught by Wickramasinghe, and bowled Dushan Hemantha, three wickets inside eight of his own deliveries, and finished with three for 11 from two overs. On a night when every other Jaffna bowler went at eight an over or worse, those two overs cost eleven runs.
Vijay Shankar hung around for 25 from 21 and was the last man out on the final ball of the innings, caught by Traveen Mathew off Dilshan Madushanka, with Kandy on exactly 200. Shakib finished with three for 43, Zahoor Khan two for 32 and Madushanka two for 36.
What it does to the table
Jaffna are top on 10 points from seven games and have qualified for the playoffs, along with Galle Gallants. Colombo Kaps are also on eight points and level with Galle, so second place and the top-two advantage is still open.
Kandy have played more cricket than anyone else and have less to show for it: three wins from eight, six points, and a net run rate of minus 0.567. Their season is nearly out of road.