Asalanka, Harper, Malinga power Galle Gallants 36-run win in LPL 2026 opener

Sinhalese Sports Club makes it LPL debut as the 2026 edition begins with a memorable night of entertainment and cricket action

Impact sub Eshan Malinga’s four-fer does the trick for Gallants after Asalanka’s fifty, Harper’s 19-ball 40 and Arachchige, Shanaka and Nawaz’s later fireworks

Eshan Malinga and Chamindu Wickramsinghe became the first two Impact subs in the history of LPL, respectively

Galle Gallants defeated Jaffna Kings by 36 runs by defending their 213-run total in a high-scoring opening game of the Lanka Premier League 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Ground (SSC), Colombo in front of more than six thousand spectators, who earlier enjoyed a glittering opening ceremony including an eye-catching drone show.

In the defence of the target, Gallants brought in Impact Eshan Malinga in place of opening batter Lasith Croospulle to stem Jaffna Kings’ audacious start as their opening duo of Avishka Fernando – 34 off 21 balls with two fours and three sixes – and Kamil Mishara had racked up 63 runs inside the powerplay.

Malinga got Fernando on the second ball of sixth over and three balls later dismissed Ibrahim Zadran as well as Kings finished the powerplay with 65-2 on the board.

Kings continued to lose regular wickets except when their top-scorer Dunith Wellalage and David Wiese resisted with a 28-ball 42-run stand for the sixth wicket. Wellalage’s 24-ball 40 with the help of four fours and two sixes went in vain when he departed in the 15th over.

Beyond Wellalage, only Impact sub Chamindu Wickramsinghe showed some fight as he struck 24 off 10 hitting three sixes and one four but in vain. Malinga removed Nuwanidu Fernando in the 10th over and Traveen Matthew to wrap up the game finishing with four for 26 in 3.4 overs.

Kings were dismissed for 177 in 19.4 overs as Gallants’ overseas pacer Akif Javed snapped two wickets removing Kamil Mishara in the seventh over and ended Wiese’s rusty 19-ball 15 in the 19th.

Asalanka, Shanaka and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth picked up one wicket each.

After being invited to bat first, Sam Harper kickstarted the Gallants innings with a quick fire 40 runs off 19 deliveries smashing eight fours and one six before being dismissed by Lizaad Williams. He shared a 43-run opening stand with Croospulle, who became the first batter to fall in LPL 2026 as Wellalage got into business.

Asalanka kept the Gallants’ innings well on track to the first total in excess of 200-run mark as his 65 off 38 balls included seven fours and three sixes, and it also laid the platform for Mohammad Nawaz, Sahan Arachchige and Shanaka as they collected 87 runs together off 42 balls combined.

Arachchige, who scored 35 off 24 balls comprising three fours and two sixes, was also involved in a 74-run stand with Asalanka as the duo was separated in the 17th over with 156 runs on the board.

Shanaka blazed three consecutive sixes and a four in the penultimate over off Dilshan Madushanka to end up with 32 off nine balls and Nawaz blasted Piyush Chawla for three sixes in the last over to score 21 off nine balls as Gallants ransacked 43 runs off the last two overs.

With the ball, Williams and Chawla picked up two wickets each, Wellalage, whose fourth over was unused – gave 10 runs in his three for one scalp, while Wiese also picked up a wicket.

Scores in Brief

Galle Gallants: 213/6 (20)
Charith Asalanka: 65 (38)
Sam Harper: 40 (19)
Sahan Archachige: 35 (24)

Lizaad Williams: 2/28 (3)
Piyush Chawla: 2/43 (4)

Jaffna Kings: 177/10 (19.4)
Dunith Wellalage: 40

Eshan Malinga: 4/26(3.4)
Akif Javed: 2-31

Player of the match – Charith Asalanka