Photo by The Lanka Premier League is heating up, and we’re in for a treat as two of the top contenders, the Kandy Falcons and the Galle Marvels, face off in the league stage. The defending champions, the Kandy Falcons, will be looking to bounce back from their recent defeat to the Colombo Strikers, while the Galle Marvels will be hoping to build on their impressive start to the tournament.
The Force of the LPL
The Kandy Falcons laid down a marker on the opening night, chasing down Dambulla Sixers’ 179-4 in just 17.2 overs with excellent batting from Dinesh Chandimal and Dasun Shanaka. However, they suffered a heavy 51-run defeat to the Colombo Strikers in their next match, which has realigned expectations with reality for the defence of their title.
Kandy Falcons in action
Marvellous Marvels
The Galle Marvels, on the other hand, have been impressive, with their opening partnership of Niroshan Dickwella and Alex Hales proving to be a game-changer. They started off by winning off the final ball of the match to chase 178 against the Jaffna Kings, and then enjoyed a seven-run victory over the Colombo Strikers.
Galle Marvels’ opening partnership in action
Betting Analysis
The Kandy Falcons’ success has been built around the impressive performances of captain Wanindu Hasaranga, who was the leading run scorer in 2023 as well as the top wicket-taker for the entire league. He has been in poor form with the bat, but has begun to show signs of improvement, and is always a good bet to be Player of the Match given how pivotal and decisive the all-action man can be.
The Galle Marvels’ opening partnership of Dickwella and Hales is probably the best in the tournament, and has certainly started as the most fruitful. Backing either one of them to go past 30 or 50 is almost always worth a bet.
Expert Prediction
These are two strong sides with a lot of quality players. The Kandy Falcons began the tournament seeming almost untouchable, but their loss to Colombo has realigned expectations with reality for the defence of their title, which may still be on but won’t be easy. The Galle Marvels, on the other hand, are perhaps too overly reliant on the opening partnership, so the Kandy Falcons coming out on top would be no real shock.
Cricket action from the Lanka Premier League
Top Tip
Kandy Falcons to win
