That's it from our live coverage to this game. The second leg of today's double-header is just starting, and my friend Peter Della Penna is getting the live commentary fired up. Join us over on that page for the Gladiators v Tuskers match.
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Thisara Perera, Stallions captain and player of the match: "Normally I never thinking about the wickets that have fallen. I back myself. It's a really good surface to bat and bowl first. I have to thank my bowling unit because they've done a really good job on this wicket. Now with my batting I give myself a little more of a chance by taking some time to get in at the start of my innings. In the past I was just hitting, hitting, hitting."
Dasun Shanaka, Viiking captain: "We were very much on top of the game at the start, but our execution after that was poor. I didn't expect to give away so many runs. I could have spoken to my fast bowlers and gone with different plans. Thisara took the game totally away from us. We need to change the team because this is not the best combination going forward."
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What a cakewalk for Stallions this turned out to be, and this was their second comfortable victory in the tournament. Insane to think that this is how the game turned out when they had been 64 for 5 in the ninth over. Chaturanga de Silva and Wanindu Hasaranga supported Thisara Perera brilliantly though, as Thisara applied his considereable T20 experience to launch a roaring counterattack that saw him hit 64 runs off his last 21 balls, and make 97 off 44 balls overall. At one stage they were looking like they'd struggle to make 160, but they raced to 218 for 7, and Viiking were always going to struggle to challenge that against this Stallions attack.
Viiking couldn't really get much momentum going in their own innings. Dickwella and Tharanga didn't last long enough, and Paul Stirling could barely get bat to ball. Shanaka and Patel made a fist of it for a bit, but the required rate was getting away from them. In the end, Viiking went down in a hail of wickets.
With this win, Stallions have indicated that they are a team to be reckoned with at the LPL. If they can recover from such a horror start to record such a huge victory, they have depth and versatility going for them.
CBRLS Kumara run out 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Chaturanga de Silva to bowl the last over - his first of the innings.
END OF OVER:19 | 1 Run 1 Wkt | DAT: 152/9 (67 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 8.00, RRR: 67.00)
- Lahiru Kumara0 (2b)
- Aftab Alam1 (5b)
- Usman Shinwari4-0-16-3
- Duanne Olivier4-0-42-1
Danish: "Maybe I'm one of the few but kind of disappointed in Dasun today..he kept looking on from the sidelines for too long. Should have stepped up and came in much earlier imo. Had he done that they might have chased this if not gotten much closer." I think team selection definitely needs to be better from Dambulla. They have too many bowlers in the XI. And some - like Pushpakumara - were wasted today.
PM Pushpakumara c †Moores b Usman Shinwari 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Sarthak: "17.3 - Consecutive 2nd bouncer. No ball ?? Am I mixing up a rule here @afidelf??" I don't think the second one was head high though.
END OF OVER:18 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | DAT: 151/8 (68 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 8.38, RRR: 34.00)
- Malinda Pushpakumara0 (1b)
- Aftab Alam0 (2b)
- Duanne Olivier4-0-42-1
- Thisara Perera3-0-23-2
RTM Mendis c †Moores b Olivier 10 (8b 0x4 1x6) SR: 125.00
END OF OVER:17 | 4 Runs 1 Wkt | DAT: 145/7 (74 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.52, RRR: 24.66)
- Aftab Alam0 (2b)
- Ramesh Mendis4 (3b)
- Thisara Perera3-0-23-2
- Binura Fernando4-0-41-2
Prafin: "I thought Ramesh Mendis was batsman. Am i wrong or some strategy?" I think he's batting too low too.
Aftab Alam is new to the crease and is at the non-striker's the batsmen having crossed.