Galle spinners strangle champs Jaffna to defeat

Galle Gladiators gained sweet revenge for their defeat in the final of last year’s Lanka Premier League (LPL) when they beat defending champions Jaffna Kings by 54 runs in the curtain-raiser of the 2021 LPL at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.

Jaffna’s strong batting was strangled by left-arm spinners Samith Patel (3/21) and Noor Ahmed (1/25), the off-breaks of Mohammad Hafeez (2/11) and the leg-spin of Pulina Tharanga (2/13) as they crumbled to 110 in reply to Galle’s total of 164-7.