All-round Moeen helps Royals edge Gallants as Karunaratne, Shanaka fifties go in vain

• Kandy Royals eke out an important 11-run win after stuttering early on in the match against Galle Gallants
  Dambulla, 25th July 2026:

Kandy Royals bagged just their second and a very important win of the tournament out of the five games they have played as they handed Galle Gallants an 11-run defeat in the first match of the Saturday double-header at the Rangiri International Stadium in Dambulla.

Royals have gone to number three with four points, while no.2 Colombo Kaps and no.4 Dambulla Sixers will play the night game on Saturday which could prove to a vital contest for the table.

Moeen Ali starred with both bat and ball as he struck a breezy 29-ball 41 with the help of three fours and one six to take Royals from 64-4 in 8.2 overs to 165-8 in 20. He then got rid of the dangerous Sahan Arachchige for a two-ball duck.

Gallants showed some defiance and came close to the target with skipper Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne scoring half-centuries, while no other batter from their side crossed the 14-run mark.

In pursuit of the target, Nuwan Thushara rocked the Gallants with two strikes in the second over removing Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Dinura Kalupahana, while within the next seven overs Sam Harper and Charith Asalanka also departed for 14 runs each.

With Arachchige’s short stay, Shanaka (57 not out off 38) and Karunaratne (52 off 35) put on a 44-ball 73-run stand in a bid to change the trajectory of the game. Their stand was broken by Asith Fernando with Gallants needing 39 off 18.

Shanaka struck a six and three fours after losing Karunaratne but in vain. They couldn’t manage a boundary off the last 11 balls, falling short by 11 runs. Thushara picked up three for 33, while Fernando had two. Moeen and Hasaranga removed one batter each.

Earlier, Royals lost their top three to Pramod Madushan and Akif Javed before Dale Phillips 25-ball 34 stabilized their innings. He also shared a 40-run stand with Hasaranga (16 off 12, one four, one six).

The main push came from Moeen, Angelo Matthews and Vijay Shankar as the 5t, 6th and 7th wickets added 101 runs. Moeen’s 41 also came in a 58-run stand with Mathews, who remained unbeaten for 28 off 22 hitting two fours.

Vijay Shankar’s two fours in a 12-ball 15 made sure Royals posted a fighting total of 165-6 in 20 overs. Madushan, Akif Javed and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth picked up two wickets each.

Brief Scores

Kandy Royals won by 11 runs

Kandy Royals 165/6 (20)
Moeen Ali 41 (29)
Dale Phillips 34 (25)
Angelo Matthews 28* (22)

Akif Javed 2/26
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 2/36
Pramod Madushan 2/41

Galle Gallants 154/8 (20)
Dasun Shanaka 57* (38)
Chamika Karunaratne 52 (35)

Nuwan Thushara 3/33
Asitha Fernando 2/33