After three weeks of action, the title for the inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League is about to be crowned as the final will be played on Friday.
The match, to be played between Uva Next and Nagenahira Nagas, will wrap the tournament up after two dozen matches, with Sri Lanka Cricket claiming it to be a reasonable success.
It is a rather surprising lineup to see for the final. Not many would have envisioned Wayamba United to not be present on the finals day.
But that is exactly what has happened with Uva Next spoiling their party in a shock 20-run win on Tuesday.
Given their solid performance, Uva have emerged as strong contenders for the title. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, after a quiet run in the round matches, came in to his own with a 41-ball 50 while Jacob Oram blazed his way to 17-ball 41 to add impetus to the total.
Thilina Kandamby, the captain, has remained positive about the team’s chances as the potential entry into the cash-rich Champions League is also on the cards.
The bowlers will be hoping to reproduce their stunning performance as they reduced Wayamba to 27 for 7.
Oram and Umar Gul will be expected to bring their experience into use as the duo did most of the damage on Tuesday.
For Nagenahira Nagas, their entry into the final was paved by rain. As a result of washout, the Nagas progressed through by virtue of finishing higher on the points table after the league matches.
But they will be keen to avoid any setbacks at the hands of Uva, a team they have beaten earlier albeit in an inconsequential match. Led by Angelo Mathews, the team will rely on Ajantha Mendis and Ahmed Shahzad to carry the major duties.
In their earlier meeting, Nagenahira chased down a 161-run target thanks to Imran Nazir and Mathews’ exploits. The final starts at 8.00pm local time.