Upul Tharanga thrashed a rollicking 54-ball unbeaten 104 in firing Colombo to the SLC T20 League 2018 championship title by an emphatic seven-wicket triumph over Dambulla in the tournament final played at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium under lights on Sunday, 2 September 2018. Tharanga’s exhilarating knock was laced with as many as nine sixes and six boundaries as he took the Dambulla bowling attack to the cleaners as Colombo made 167 for three wickets in 18.2 overs in reply to Dambulla’s 163 for eight in 20 overs. Tharanga finished the decisive contest smacking Isuru Udana for a boundary. With him was Shehan Jayasuriya on a fine 35 off 22 balls containing three boundaries and a six. Udana skippered Dambulla in place of Thisara Perera and Tharanga captained Colombo in absence of their regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal. The finals – Dambulla, batting first, maintained a run rate of 8.15 in posting a creditable total steered by a 40-ball 57 by Ramith Rambukwella, packed with seven boundaries and three sixes. Hasitha Boyogoda made a pleasing 22-ball 40 with three boundaries and two sixes. Colombo’s Jeevan Mendis claimed two for 27 and Akila Dananjaya two for 37. Colombo overcame the loss of two early wickets to recover from one for three, and two for 41, as Tharanga figured in a 36-run alliance for the third-wicket with Priyamal Perera who made 12 off 14 balls to take the total to 77 for three off 10.2 overs. From that point it was just a cakewalk for Colombo with the inform Tharanga combining in an unfinished 90-run partnership for the fourth-wicket to claim the title in style. Table leaders – Coming in to the final, both Colombo and Dambulla had won four games apiece, out of their six, as the other two sides that featured in the tournament, Kandy and Galle, won only two each out of six games. Colombo led the points table before the finals, though, with a Net Run Rate of +0.906 ahead of Dambulla’s +0.645. Galle had +0.048 and Kandy were -1.561. Best Performers – Upul Tharanga of Colombo became the batsman of the tournament with an aggregate of 414 in six innings (averaging of 103.5 with 2 centuries and 2 fifties) and Dasun Shanaka of Kandy (312 at 78.00, 1 century and 2 fifties) and Danushka Gunathilaka of Dambulla (247 at 35.28, 2 fifties) being second and third. The best bowler of the tournament was pacie Kasun Rajitha of Galle with 13 scalps at 17.76. Akila Dananjaya and Jeevan Mendis of Colombo took 11 apiece at 16.36 and 13.72. Chief Scores of the Final: Dambulla (won the toss) 163/8 in 20 overs (Run Rate: 8.15) (Ramith Rambukwella 57, Hasitha Boyagoda 40, Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva 22, Sadeere Samarawickrama 10; Jeevan Mendis 2/27, Akila Dananjaya 2/37) Colombo 167/3 in 18.2 overs (Run Rate: 9.1) (Upul Tharanga 104 n.o., Shehan Jayasuriya 35 n.o.) Result: Colombo beat Dambulla by 7 wkts and won the 2018 SLC T20 League championship. * The above photo shows the victorious Team Colombo with the 2018 SLC T20 League trophy. (Courtesy SLC)