Dambulla Sixers’ Lanka Premier League playoff hopes are no longer in their own hands after a third successive defeat left them needing both a victory in their final league fixture and favourable results elsewhere to stay alive in the competition.
The latest setback, their fifth in six matches, came in Sikandar Raza’s first appearance for the franchise after he joined the squad on July 29 as an injury replacement for Marques Ackerman. The Zimbabwe all-rounder scored 23 off 25 balls but went wicketless across his four overs. Dambulla will conclude the league stage against Jaffna Kings on August 2.
The result comes amid a wave of squad changes across the tournament as franchises adjust their line-ups because of injuries and international commitments.
Dambulla have also added Sonal Dinusha to their squad, while Afghanistan left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi has departed following Wednesday’s match against Colombo Kaps to link up with his national side.
Kushal Bhurtel rejects Colombo
Colombo have confirmed that Nepal batter Kushal Bhurtel will not be joining the franchise after all. It resulted in Crishan Kalugamage, who had initially been signed on a temporary basis, remaining with the squad for the rest of the season.
The franchise has also brought in Ashen Bandara to replace the injured Kusal Mendis, who is ruled out of the tournament. Bangladesh fast bowler Hasan Mahmud has returned home for national duty, prompting Colombo to sign fellow Bangladesh pacer Ripon Mondol as his replacement.
Galle Gallants have also reshuffled their squad after Chris Lynn and Mehidy Hasan Miraz left Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Lynn was unable to recover from an injury that had already sidelined him earlier in the tournament, while Mehidy departed as scheduled. Australia’s Thomas Rogers has been named as Mehidy’s replacement. Earlier, Galle drafted in Kavija Gamage after Vishen Halambage was ruled out through injury.
Jaffna have also benefited from a mid-season change after Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy joined the squad when Taskin Ahmed withdrew following a national team call-up.
Hridoy has made an immediate impact, producing knocks of 35 from 21 deliveries and 31 from only eight balls. His performances have helped lift Jaffna from the bottom of the standings to a guaranteed playoff berth ahead of the final round of league matches.
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