Hasaranga to lead Kandy team [X]
The Lanka Premier League (LPL) returns for its fifth edition, The opening match of the Lanka Premier League 2024 will see Kandy Falcons (KFL) take on Dambulla Sixers (DS) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, Sri Lanka on Monday, July 1st, 2024 at 07:30 PM IST.
Defending champions, Kandy Falcons will be looking to start their campaign on a high note. LPL 2023 finalist Dambulla Sixers, on the other hand, will also be eager to make their mark in the tournament.
Ahead of the game, here is a look at the Dream11 predictions, fantasy tips, pitch report, the top player picks and the best-predicted XIs for the fantasy contests of the match.
Kandy Falcons and Dambulla Sixers have played nine matches against each other and the contest has been pretty close between them. Kandy Falcons have won five of these seven games while Dambulla Sixers have won four matches.
| Stats | Matches | Kandy Falcons Won | Dambulla Sixers Won | No Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| Last Five Matches |
5 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| At Pallekele International Cricket Stadium | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
The pitch at Pallekele Cricket Stadium is a balanced surface that favours both batters and bowlers. Fast bowlers get some early swing from the surface thanks to the freshness of the wicket. But after fading away the shine of the new ball, batters find it easy to score runs. The pitch started to slow down as the match progressed, which brought spinners into the game. Due to the slow pitch, spinners dominate the rest of the game at this stadium.
Matches: 17
Matches won batting first: 9
Matches won batting second: 8
Average first innings score: 163.5
Average second innings score: 147.6
Highest total recorded: 240
Lowest total recorded: 89
As per the last five matches record between these two teams and records on this ground, Kandy Falcons are favourites to clinch a victory here against Dambulla Sixers.
Ace Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews led Kandy Falcons to lift the trophy last season, defeating Dambulla Aura by five wickets. Skipper Matthews became man of the match due to his all-round brilliance in the final.
Wanindu Hasaranga was named the player of the tournament last season. He had a dream season, scoring 279 runs and picking up 19 wickets. The leg spinner will be the player to watch out for in the forthcoming season, too.
Afghanistan batter, Ibrahim Zadran has been in excellent form right now. In recent T20 WC 2024 tournament, he has scored 231 runs in 8 innings. He will be vital asset for Dambulla Sixers in this tournament.
The Bangladeshi pacer has been in great form with the ball in recent matches. He picked 8 wickets with an economy rate of 5.46 in T20 WC 2024 tournament.
Right handed wicket-keeper batter, Dinesh Chandimal was the third highest run-scorer of previous edition of Lanka Premier League, he had scored 259 runs. He is a great differential pick considering his batting position and experience.
The Afghan all-rounder has not delivered for his country as per expectations in T20 WC 2024. But being a middle-order batter and an efficient spin bowler, Mohammad Nabi could be a differential choice for the game.
Considering the conditions and probable-XIs, a combination of 2-2-3-4 or 3-2-3-3 would be ideal for this fixture.
Wicketkeepers: Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera
Batters: Ibrahim Zadran, Agha Salman
All-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Nabi
Bowlers: Mustafizur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Mohammad Hasnain
Captain: Ibrahim Zadran
Vice-captain: Angelo Mathews
KFL: 6 Players; DS: 5 Players
Wicketkeepers: Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Andre Fletcher
Batters: Ibrahim Zadran, Mark Chapman
All-rounders: Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Mohammad Nabi
Bowlers: Mustafizur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Captain: Dinesh Chandimal
Vice-captain: Nuwan Thushara
KFL: 5 Players; DS: 6 Players
