By Srian Obeyesekere
Sri Lanka Greens simply blazed their way to the 2025 Sri Lanka Cricket T20 League Championship title by a comprehensive 23 run triumph over SLC Greys in Saturday’s final at the Sinhalese Sports Club Grounds on a high of 189 for 4 wickets off 20 overs after being put into bat and reducing their opponents to 166 for 8 in the 20 overs in the final dominated by opening batsman Kusal Mendis who bulldozed the Greys attack for a 47 ball Player of the Match 77 heightened by 5 sixes and equal number of boundaries.
Mendis made light of the first ball run out of Kamil Mishara as he tore into the Greys attack by a redressing 56 run partnership with the next in Bhanuka Rajapaksa 18 off 15 with 2 boundaries.
Mendis saw the Greens past the hundred mark and well poised on 111 for 3 when he fell third ball of the 13th over from where the show was all Sadeera Samarawickrama’s and the enterprising Greens Captain Kamindu Mendis’ in gutting the Greys attack for unbeaten knocks of 49 off 29 with 7 boundaries, and 42 off 23 with 6 boundaries and a six in that unfinished 78 assault for the fifth wicket after Pavan Rathnayake had gone for 1, but his second successive blemish by no means diminishing the value of this young discovery who was the match winning unbeaten half centurion in guiding Colombo Cricket Club to the SLC Major Clubs Limited Overs title only a week ago to topping a successful run for Sri Lanka A versus Australia A when he scored a fluent century.
SLC Greys captain Charith Asalanka might well have rued his decision of not making the most of a traditionally tailormade track for batting as they came a cropper chasing a huge 190 target despite openers Niroshan Dickwella, a robust 50 off 28 filled with 3 over the top and 5 to the ropes and Dinesh Chandimal 36 off 21 (5×4, 1×6) posting 70 off 6 overs with the rest unable to convert the fine start to winning ways.
Asalanka’s 21 was the only other knock to speak of, but the known match winner that he is not finding it his day as the Greys caved in before the tight Greens bowlers guided by Chamika Karunaratne’s 3 for 24, Dushmantha Chameera 2 for 26, and skipper Kamindu Mendis 2 for 25 in putting to play his all-round prowess to rounding off a champagne run to the short format title.
Chief Scores
SLC Greens 189/4 20 Overs
Kusal Mendis 77, Sadeera Samarawickrama n.o. 49, Kamindu Mendis n.o. 42, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 18, Vijayaskanth Viyaskanth 2/45, Ramesh Mendis 1/18.
SLC Greys 166/8 20 Overs
Niroshan Dickwella 50, Dinesh Chandimal 36, Charith Asalanka 21, Ramesh Mendis 14, Chamika Karunaratne 3/24, Kamindu Mendis 2/25, Dushmantha Chameera 2/26, Kamil Mishara 1/14.