Kandy lock horns against Colombo in the Saturday night encounter of Sri Lanka T20 League 2020. Kandy had a weak campaign, but Galle’s poor show boosted its top four qualifications.
Match Timings: Dec 05, 8 PM IST
Team Preview
Kandy and Colombo fight out for one more time after the nail-biting super-over finish in the season opener. Kusal Perera’s Kandy has played five matches so far and added just one victory. Despite this poor performance, they sit at the fourth spot, and credit goes to Galle’s four defeats in the first half. Kandy’s only win was also recorded against Galle, but Kusal Perera would avoid another loss. After this fixture, they will have just two games, and Galle's late success can create trouble for them. Galle will take on Dambulla in the first encounter of Saturday, and if the result favours Galle, Kandy will be in deep trouble.
In its last outing, Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis scored fine knocks to take Kandy to an imposing total of 156. The middle-order failed to provide an acceleration in death-overs, which cost them 15-20 runs in the first innings. Kandy’s bowlers tried to break Dambulla’s approach by picking three wickets in the first half of the chase, but Angelo Perera and Dasun Shanaka spoiled the party.
Brendan Taylor has provided the experience in middle-overs, but Kandy requires similar intent from others. Kusal Mendis has amassed 188 runs, and Perera has scored 163 runs so far, which is an excellent sign in the top-order. Kandy is missing the late acceleration. In bowling, Naveen-Ul-Haq has bowled well, but his economy is a big concern. The right-arm medium pacer is the leading wicket-taker of this season with 8 wickets. Gunaratne has also produced 7 wickets, and he offers depth in team combination with both bat and ball.
Meanwhile, Colombo had a solid start after winning the first two matches against Kandy and Galle. They are pretty safe now, and it is expected to see them in the semifinals. Colombo has a strong batting unit named Dinesh Chandimal and Laurie Evans at the top-order, followed by Andre Russell at the finishing end. Udana has also produced good numbers in previous matches, and his ability to control runs in crucial overs is excellent. They would expect some fire from the new signing Drummond who scored 423 runs in the recently concluded T20 Blast. The good combination of batting and bowling make Colombo a compact side, and they are yet again favourites to win two points.
Pitch Report
Hambantota’s surface offers a good amount of help to batsmen, and it’s a batting paradise. On a used surface, pacers can find some help. Chasing is a great call after winning the toss.
Possible XI
Kandy
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Kusal Perera (c & wk), Kusal Mendis, Brendan Taylor, Asela Gunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Seekkuge Prasanna, Dilruwan Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Naveen-ul-Haq, Munaf Patel
Colombo
Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Laurie Evans, Thikshila de Silva, Andre Russell, Angelo Mathews (c), Ashan Priyanjan, Isuru Udana, Dhammika Prasad, Jeffrey Vandersay, Qais Ahmad, Dushmantha Chameera
Key Players
Kandy
Brendan Taylor
Last outings: 13 (11), 46 (32), 51 (35)
Kusal Mendis
SL T20 League – M: 5, Runs: 188, Avg: 47
Colombo
Laurie Evans
SL T20 League – M: 4, Runs: 103, Avg: 51
Andre Russell
SL T20 League – M: 3, Runs: 94, Wickets: 3
