Lanka Premier League 2022 Points Table: Updated standings after Galle Gladiators vs Dambulla Aura, Match 20

Dambulla Aura defeated Galle Gladiators by four wickets in the 20th match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2022) at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Monday, December 19.

Despite the win, they finished at the bottom of the points, which meant that they failed to go through to the playoffs. The Gladiators, on the other hand, finished in fourth place and went through to the next round along with Kandy Falcons, Jaffna Kings and Colombo Stars.

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Dambulla Aura win, but fail to finish in top four

After deciding to bat first, the Gladiators racked up a decent score of 129 for the loss of eight wickets. However, that wouldn’t have been possible had Nuwanidu Fernando not stepped up. Fernando remained unbeaten on 63 runs off 42 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes to help his side post a decent total.

In fact, he scored 25 runs off the last over from Sikandar Raza after the Gladiators found themselves in all sorts of trouble. After being reduced to 87/8 in 17.1 overs, Kusal Mendis and Co. looked like they will struggle to cross the 100-run mark.

Mendis and Azam Khan got into double digits but failed to convert. Right-arm fast bowler Matthew Forde was a tough customer to deal with for the Gladiators’ batters. The pacer picked up four crucial wickets and gave away only 11 runs in four overs.

The equation for Dambulla Aura was pretty clear in their run-chase. In order for them to qualify, they had to chase the target down within 11.1 overs. They made a horrendous start as Nuwan Thushara removed Shevon Daniel early in the run-chase.

They also lost Lasith Croospulle cheaply, but Jordan Cox and Matthew Forde tried throwing the kitchen sink at everything to keep their team in their game.

After his stupendous performance with the ball, Ford brought up his half-century off 29 balls, but it wasn’t enough for Dambulla Aura to win. In 11.1 overs, the Aura were at 113/5, 17 runs short of the target.

However, they chased down the target in 14.2 overs to end their campaign on a winning note.