Rilee Rossouw smashed 106 off 53 balls, while Kusal Mendis scored 72 off 40 to ensure a win for Jaffna Kings. Both chased a target of 185 in 16 overs very easily. At least two records were broken during the game. It’s worth mentioning that the Kings’ chase was the highest of any LPL tournament. And with their triumph, a Jaffna franchise has now won four of the five LPL titles. They missed out just in 2023. Rilee Rossouw and Mendis’ incredible hitting will be this tournament’s best combo.
Rilee Rossouw’s Finishing Touches
After seven overs, they had Galle Marvels at 23 for 3. All credit goes to outstanding bowling from Jason Behrendorff, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Fabian Allen. They rebounded thanks to a brilliant innings by Bhanuka Rajapaksa. But their 184 for 6 was unable to stop Mendis and Rilee Rossouw in such good form. Late in the chase, it seemed that Galle Marvels failed to produce a ball Rossouw couldn’t hit into or over the boundary. However, he was the first hitter to set the Kings in motion. In the second over, he struck the first boundary, one of which was intentional. But it was in the middle overs, against spin, that Rilee Rossouw found his actual potential.
He blasted Prabath Jayasuriya for six and two fours in the seventh over. Then bullied Theekshana over the long-on boundary to reach fifty in 29 balls. Later, he returned to blasting Udana. He scored three fours and a six against Janith Liyanage’s seam bowling. It falls five runs shy of a second century in this year’s competition. By this point, the Kings were so far ahead of the game. They required just 21 off 42 balls with nine wickets remaining. The only question was whether Mendis would run down the mark before Rossouw could reach three figures. But Rilee Rossouw arrived with ease and rocked his bazooka celebration. He hit the winning run and hoisted his bat to the dugout.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s Hard Efforts
Previously, when fielding, Rilee Rossouw got into a heated argument with umpire Kumar Dharmasena about an overthrow. He was hyped for this game. Rossouw and Mendis put him in the shade, but the Marvels’ almost impossible aim was set by Rajapaksa, who demonstrated both his touch and power in his 82 off 34. Throughout the innings, he played some lovely late cuts, excellent glances, and flicks off his toes. Also, he pinged balls down the ground, over midwicket, and cover. Tim Seifert helped him, who smashed 47 off 37 balls and was part of a 62-run stand with Rajapaksa.
Even Seifert had only increased his scoring by three leg-side sixes and a four off four successive V Viyaskanth deliveries. Many of the other Marvel batters battled with their timing on this pitch. This season, teams have performed effectively in the late innings due to the power blast. Almost two late overs with only four boundary riders allowed.
However, the Kings controlled the early overs, which were also an important part of the game. Behrendorff had the strongest effort here. He found a swing, allowing only five runs in three powerplay overs and dismissing both of the Marvels’ openers. Meanwhile, the spinners were also good. Allen bowled two overs for ten runs, and de Silva gave up six in the first over. They mainly bowled slowly on a surface with some turn. John Matthews, also known as “Cricket” Matthews, is a well-known cricket writer with over 20 years of experience. His articles have been published in The Guardian, Cricinfo, and Wisden Cricket Monthly.
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