Galle Gallants began their LPL 2026 journey with a commanding 36 run victory over Jaffna Kings at the SSC Grounds in Colombo on 17 July.
Sent in to bat, Galle produced an imposing 213 for 6 from their 20 overs, with Charith Asalanka setting the tone through a fluent innings at number three. The left hander struck 65 from 38 balls, finding the boundary seven times and clearing it on three occasions.
Sam Harper gave the innings early stability with 40, while Sahan Arachchige added an important 35 to keep the scoring rate healthy through the middle phase. The biggest late surge came from captain Dasun Shanaka, who transformed the closing overs with a rapid 31 from only nine deliveries. His explosive effort, featuring two fours and three sixes, came at a strike rate of 344.44 and pushed Galle beyond the 200 mark.
Jaffna’s bowlers found it difficult to contain the pressure, though Lizaad Williams and Piyush Chawla collected two wickets apiece.
Faced with a target of 214, Jaffna never fully settled into the chase and closed on 177 after 20 overs. Dunith Wellalage offered the strongest resistance, scoring 40 from 24 balls with four fours and two sixes, but support around him was not enough to seriously threaten Galle’s total.
Eshan Malinga proved decisive with the ball. The young fast bowler tore through the Jaffna batting order and returned outstanding figures of 4 for 26. His spell repeatedly halted any momentum the Kings attempted to build.
The result gave Galle Gallants an ideal start to the tournament and sent an early warning to their rivals about the squad’s batting depth and bowling quality. Asalanka controlled the innings, Shanaka supplied the late fireworks, and Malinga completed the job with a match winning bowling performance in a convincing all round display.
