Danushka Gunathilaka scored a rapid half century of just 19 balls to set the tempo for the chase in the final of the Lanka Premier League. The left hander was so fiercely dominant in the powerplay that amongst the first 59 runs that came in 4 overs, he himself had scored 50 runs.
Chasing a steep target of 202 runs, Gladiators could not have dreamt of a better start. Gunathilaka took on one of the best bowlers of the tournament - Maheesh Theekshana and took 30 runs off his first two overs. To put things into perspective, Theekshana is the joint second highest wicket taker at the moment and potentially could end the tournament as the purple cap holder.
The rapid start came to an end in the fifth over the game, much like the first innings of this final clash. Wanindu Hasaranga, after getting belted for a boundary in the first ball struck back straight away with a googly, outfoxing the left hander in a false shot. Gunathilaka, trying to clobber the ball over mid off, fell well short, offering a simple chance to Thisara Perera.
Right after him Ben Dunk at three also fell prey to Hasranga’s tricks and got out for a golden ball duck.
At the time of writing, Galle Gladiators were 67/2 at the end of the powerplay.