LPL 2021 - Match 1 Review: Bhanuka Rajapaksa leads from the front with a 56-run cameo in Galle Gladiator's stylish win

Skipper Bhanuka Rajapaksa led by example clobbering a cameo 31-ball 56 in Galle Gladiator’s triumphant 54-run flying start to the Sri Lanka Cricket Lanka Premier League 2021 second edition curtain-raiser over Jaffna Kings under lights at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

He struck 3 sixes and 6 boundaries in a total of 164 for 7 off 20 overs on which the Gladiators bowlers ran through the Jaffna Kings for 110 in 18.2 overs.

If the left-handed mauler of the ball was the trump card batter of the momentous tournament opener, Samit Patel with whom he set a ball rolling 40-run 5-wicket partnership, capped it with an all-round Player of the Match performance rounded by his 3 for 21 in decimating the Kings.

Upfront, Rajapaksa figured in a 4th wicket pairing of 52 with Ben Dunk who made 17. The highest Jaffna Kings could offer was Wahab Riaz’s 27 with the bat in hand.

The 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier League will be played from 5th December to 23rd December

The 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier League will be played from 5th December to 23rd December 2021. This time, the LPL will follow the Playoffs style format that has been followed in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The top two teams will get two chances to qualify for the final, while the 3rd and 4th placed teams will take part in the Eliminator.

While the winner of Qualifier 1 will advance to the summit clash, the loser will play the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2. The previous edition of the Lanka Premier League was won by the Jaffna Kings outfit, and they beat the Galle Gladiators side in the final by 53 runs. A total of 24 matches will be played in the 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier League.