Dambulla Viiking takes on Galle Gladiators in another exciting clash at the Lanka Premier League. Galle is yet to open their account on the LPL points table after losing four matches in a row.
Dambulla defeated Colombo Kings by 28 runs in their last match. Their outcome against Kandy Tuskers is yet to be known at the time of writing this article.
Galle lost to Jaffna Stallions by five wickets despite posting a competitive 170 on board.
Team News
The experienced Paul Stirling is yet to strike form leading to more pressure on Dambulla's middle order. Wicket-keeper batsman, Sadeera Samarawickrama is waiting on the wings and can be tried out. All the bowlers of Dambulla got wickets in the last game and they will not face any issues on that front.
Galle suffered one more blow when their skipper, Shahid Afridi left for Pakistan due to some personal issue. Mohammad Amir is not picking up wickets regularly and Akila Dananjaya is being too expensive.
Pitch and Conditions
Sides batting first are defending their targets successfully if their bowlers manage to click. It is a good track to bat once the batsmen have settled in. Chasing gets difficult on this wicket with more movement for the bowlers. It is ideal to win the toss and bat first.
Probable Playing XI
Dambulla Viiking: Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Upul Tharanga, Samit Patel, Dasun Shanaka (c), Ramesh Mendis, Samiullah Shinwari, Anwar Ali, Malinda Pushpakumara, Sachindu Colombage, Malinda Pushpakumara, Kasun Rajitha.
Galle Gladiators: Danushka Gunathilaka, Ahsan Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (c), Chadwick Walton, Milinda Siriwardana, Lakshan Sandakan, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Mohammad Amir, Akila Dananjaya, Asitha Fernando.
Key Battles
Dasun Shanaka vs Akila Dananjaya
Shanaka is in great batting form scoring a lot of runs at a brisk pace. He was the man of the match in the victory against Colombo scoring 56 runs off just 34 balls. The hard-hitting all-rounder has made most of being promoted up the order.
Though Dananjaya can pick wickets regularly, he fails to control the run flow. He is an unconventional bowler who can bowl the carrom ball, doosra, googly, and the occasional leg-break with ease. He can make an immediate impact with his subtle variations.
Milinda Siriwardana vs Malinda Pushpakumara
Siriwardana scored 13 runs off six balls albeit in a losing chase against Kandy. He is a handy all-rounder known for his attacking style of play. Aggressive batting has been his main strength.
Pushpakumara had a great outing with the ball conceding just 19 runs in his four overs and scalping two wickets against Colombo. The left-armer can bowl a tricky line to unsettle the batsmen. He can effectively stem the run flow with his clever change of pace.
Prediction
Though Dambulla holds the momentum having won two out of their three matches so far, Galle needs to play bold cricket to notch up their first victory. They need to stay aggressive from start to finish to end their losing streak.
Cricwizz predicts Galle Gladiators to win the match.
