Continuing his rich vein of from the Abu Dhabi T10 League, Rajapaksa struck a 31-ball 56 alongside the all-round Samit Patel show who scored 42 before scalping three wickets to ensure the Stallions were restricted well short. Patel found able allies in Mohammad Hafeez and Pulina Tharanga, who picked two each in frugal spells, helping their team to a net-run-rate boosting win. However, in their second rubber, Colombo Stars struck at regular intervals to tie the Gladiators down to an unimposing 116/8, before chasing it down with four wickets and 15 balls to spare. Gladiators, who opted to bat, lost three wickets inside the powerplay and were later dragged from 77/8 to 116 by Isuru Udana’s late charge of 25. The only other performance of note with the bat was Ben Dunk’s 25-ball 38. While defending the smallish total, Gladiators’ bowlers ran Stars close, as they reduced them to 45/4 at one stage, although chasing below run-a-ball meant Dhanajaya de Silva’s men needed only a couple of partnerships, which they got from their lower-order. The start for their rivals on December 7, Kandy Warriors, was also not ideal, as they went down by 20 runs against Dambulla Giants in a stiff chase of 190. The Warriors had to bear the brunt of Phil Salt’s assault, whose quickfire 64 laid the foundation of Giants’ big score. During the chase, the big guns of the top-order perished quickly, leaving too much for the end. Rovman Powell’s 21-ball 42 alongside a few other middle-order contributions took the Warriors close, but was not enough to cross the line. Match Details Match – Galle Gladiators vs Kandy Warriors – Match 5