Jaffna Kings opened their account in the Lanka Premier League 2026 with a composed chase after their bowling unit dismissed Dambulla Sixers for 130 at the SSC Grounds in Colombo.
The fourth fixture of the tournament was staged as the Pink Game, supporting a breast cancer awareness campaign organised by Dambulla Sixers together with Indira Cancer Trust and Suwa Arana. Dambulla players wore pink kits, while Jaffna joined the cause by displaying pink ribbons on their shirts.
After winning the toss, captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa chose to field on a sluggish pitch. Dambulla struggled for momentum early and ended the powerplay on 33 for 2. Niroshan Dickwella made a brisk 23, but Traveen Mathew changed the course of the innings by taking three of the first four wickets.
Pavan Rathnayake was Dambulla’s leading scorer with 27, although regular dismissals prevented the innings from gaining pace. A late 18 from 11 deliveries by Dushmantha Chameera lifted the total to 130 before the side was bowled out with three balls unused. Lizaad Williams collected three wickets, while Shakib Al Hasan produced an economical return of 2 for 12 from four overs in his LPL comeback.
Jaffna also started carefully and reached 33 during the opening six overs. Their promotion of Chamindu Wickramasinghe to number four brought little reward, and the Kings soon slipped to 35 for 3. Ibrahim Zadran added 21 from 25 balls but could not accelerate.
Rajapaksa then took control with a decisive unbeaten 61 from 37 deliveries. His innings contained four boundaries and four sixes, allowing Jaffna to complete the chase with one over remaining.
Chameera finished with 2 for 29 for Dambulla, while Maheesh Theekshana returned an excellent 1 for 11 from four overs. The result gave Jaffna their first victory, rewarding a disciplined performance with bat and ball.
