– Galle Gallants secured their maiden Lanka Premier League (LPL) title with a convincing five-wicket victory over Jaffna Kings in a low-scoring final at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.

After restricting Jaffna Kings to 123, the Gallants completed the chase at 126 for 5 with 25 balls to spare, sealing a historic first LPL championship.Charith Asalanka and Eshan Malinga were the architects of the victory with three wickets each. Asalanka claimed 3 for 20, while Malinga returned figures of 3 for 25 to dismantle the Jaffna batting line-up.Kamil Mishara top-scored for the Kings with 41 off 32 deliveries, but regular wickets prevented Jaffna from building a competitive total. Chamindu Wickramasinghe added 25 from 16 balls, while Tharindu Ratnayake chipped in with two wickets for the Gallants.

Galle suffered an early setback when Sam Harper was dismissed in the opening over, but Tom Rogers steadied the innings with a composed 34 off 27 balls. Dinura Kalupahana then added valuable momentum with 31 from 19 deliveries.Shakib Al Hasan briefly brought Jaffna back into contention with two quick wickets, removing Rogers and Kalupahana in the ninth over, before Chamika Karunaratne also fell.

However, Dasun Shanaka and Sahan Arachchige held their nerve to guide Galle home and complete a memorable title triumph.The victory marks the Gallants’ first LPL championship, after previous campaigns that ended short of the ultimate prize.