Galle Gallants beat Jaffna Kings by 5 wickets in the final of LPL 2026, winning the trophy for the first time.

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Delhi: The Gallants defeated the Jaffna Kings by five wickets in the final of the Lanka Premier League 2026. Batting first, the Jaffna Kings were bowled out for 123 in 19.3 overs at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

In the reply, the Galle Gallants scored 126 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in just 15.5 overs to win the title. After three consecutive final defeats, Galle Gallants won their first final. Charith Aslanka played a key role in this victory, earning the Player of the Match award. Kamil Mishara was named Player of the Series. 

Jaffna Kings innings recap 

Electing to bat first after the toss, Jaffna Kings got off to a good start with Avishka Fernando and Kamil Mishara. The two added 25 runs for the first wicket. Avishka was dismissed for 20 off 16 balls. Kamil Mishara then steadied the innings, scoring 41 off 32 balls. His innings included five fours, but after his wicket fell, Jaffna’s innings quickly fell apart. Khawaja Nafe failed to open his account, while Tauheed Hridoy made 10 and captain Bhanuka Rajapaksa made just three. Dunith Wellallage also contributed just three runs.

Charith Aslanka’s bowling broke his back

Charith Asalanka put the most pressure on the Jaffna Kings batsmen. He took three wickets for just 20 runs in four overs. Ishan Malinga also took three wickets, while Tharindu Ratnayake took two wickets.

For Jaffna, Chamindu Wickramasinghe finally took the team past 120 by scoring 24 runs in 16 balls, but the entire team was reduced to 123 runs in 19.3 overs.

Galle Gallants lost early wickets

Chasing a modest target of 124, Galle Gallants had a poor start. Sam Harper was dismissed for just one run, while Charith Asalanka managed just two. However, Thomas Fraser Rogers and Dinura Kalupahana then steadied the innings. Rogers scored 34 runs from 27 balls, while Kalupahana played a quickfire 31 runs from just 19 balls. His innings included six fours.

Dasun Shanaka lands the winning punch

Sahan Arachchige and Dasun Shanaka did the real work for Galle Gallants. Sahan remained unbeaten on 14 off 19 balls, while captain Dasun Shanaka, upon arriving, scored a quick 20 off just nine balls. Shanaka’s innings included two fours and one six. He batted at a strike rate of over 222, taking the team to the brink of victory.

Galle Gallants won the match by 5 wickets, scoring 126 runs in 15.5 overs. Thus, Galle easily surpassed Jaffna Kings’ score of 123 runs and won the final and claimed the title.

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