Colombo Strikers will clash with Galle Marvels in Match 5 of the 2024 Lanka Premier League (LPL) in Pallekele on Wednesday. Both teams have not been in good form and lost three of their previous five matches. The Galle Marvels boast of stars like Alex Hales, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Maheesh Theekshana and Dwaine Pretorious while Colombo Strikers have the likes of Glenn Phillips, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Matheesha Pathirana amongst their ranks.

THE LIKELY PLAYING XIs FOR GALLE MARVELS AND COLOMBO STRIKERS

GALLE MARVELS likely XI

Batters – Alex Hales, Sadisha Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage

All-Rounders – Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dwaine Pretorius

Wicketkeeper –Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Bowlers - Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Malsha Tharupathi

COLOMBO STRIKERS likely XI

Batters - Glenn Phillips, Shehan Fernando, Kaveen Bandara

All-rounders – Dunith Wellalage, Thisara Perera, Shadab Khan, Angelo Perera

Wicketkeeper - Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Bowlers – Taskin Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Binura Fernando

Statistical Performance (Galle Marvels)

1. Alex Hales

Alex Hales will be the key batter for Galle. He is a devastating opening batter who has played in almost every T20 league across the world. Hales has a strike rate of 150.8 in the powerplay in all T20s since 2022.

ALEX HALES IN T20s SINCE 2023

2. Bhanuka Rajapaksa

Bhanuka Rajapaksa is an attacking middle-order batter who has represented Sri Lanka in 37 T20I matches. He is a veteran of 183 T20 matches in which he has scored 3448 runs at an average of 23.1 and strike rate of 135.9.

BHANUKA RAJAPAKSA IN LPL

Players Who Can Make a Difference (Galle Marvels)

1. Maheesh Theekshana

Maheesh Theekshana has bagged 33 wickets in 28 LPL matches at an economy of just 6.75. He will be used in the powerplay as a wicket-taker. Theekshana is widely regarded as a mystery spinner and has played 49 T20Is for Sri Lanka in which he has bagged 45 wickets at an economy of 6.7

2. Dwaine Pretorius

Dwaine Pretorius is a useful right-arm medium-fast bowler who has bagged 46 wickets in 40 T20 matches at a very impressive strike rate of 15 since 2023. He is also a good hitter down the order.

Statistical Performance (Colombo Strikers)

1. Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was in scintillating form in the 2024 T20 World Cup and will provide the fireworks for Colombo Strikers in the powerplay. Gurbaz scored 281 runs in 8 innings in the World Cup and was the leading run-getter of the tournament.

RAHMANULLAH GURBAZ IN T20s SINCE 2023

2. Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana, in his eight LPL innings, has taken 12 wickets with a strike rate of 13.75, an economy rate of 8.76, and an average of 20.08. Pathirana is coming off a great IPL season in which he he returned with 13 wickets in just 6 matches at an average of 13 and strike rate of 10.1. His ability to bowl yorkers make him lethal in white-ball cricket.

MATHEESHA PATHIRANA IN LPL

Players Who Can Make a Difference (Colombo Strikers)

1. Binura Fernando

Binura Fernando has taken 28 wickets in 20 LPL innings at an average of 19 and a strike rate of 15.50, including one 4-wicket haul. He will cause trouble to the right-handers.

2. Glenn Phillips

Glenn Phillips will be the key for Colombo Strikers in the middle-order. Phillips has a fine record in T20I cricket with an aggregate of 1875 in 69 innings at an average of 32.9 and strike rate of 142.15. He is a destructive batter who can clear the boundary at will and has a strike rate of 208.1 in the death overs in all T20 cricket since 2023.

TEAM HEAD TO HEAD RECORD

Galle Marvels and Colombo Strikers have played 10 matches against each other since 2020 with Colombo having the edge winning 6.

GALLE MARVELS v COLOMBO STRIKERS - HEAD TO HEAD RECORD (LAST 10 MATCHES)

MATCHES GALLE WON COLOMBO WON NO RESULT

10 4 6 0

VENUE AND PITCH

The wicket at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium offers a good contest between bat and ball. Kandy chased down Dambulla's 179 with 16 balls balls to spare and six wickets in hand in the opening match of the season at Pallekele. The team batting second has won 22 of the 41 matches in Pallekele in all T20 cricket since the start of 2022. The captain winning the toss has elected to chase 24 times. The average score batting first is 159/6 while the average score batting second is 140/5 in this time-period. The probability of winning the match after winning the toss at Pallekele is 39%. The highest score at the venue is 240 while the average score is 161.

MATCH PREDICTION

The Colombo Strikers start as favourites with a 60% win probability against Galle Marvels.

Fantasy XI

Wicketkeeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Batters: Alex Hales (VC), Glenn Phillips, Sadisha Rajapaksa

Allrounders: Thisara Perera, Dwaine Pretorius, Isuru Udana, Dunith Wellalage

Bowlers: Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana (C)

BACKUP PLAYERS:

BATTER – Shehan Fernando

BOWLER – Lahiru Kumara

ALL-ROUNDER – Jeffrey Vandersay

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