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Kandy Royals will take on Jaffna Kings in match No. 18 of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, July 30.
Jaffna Kings are placed at No. 2 on the points table. They are coming into this clash on the back of four wins and two defeats. Meanwhile, Kandy Royals have three wins and four defeats from seven games. Jaffna registered a comprehensive 93-run win when they faced the Royals last week. The latter will be hoping to exact revenge on Thursday.
Kandy Royals’ Predicted Playing XI vs Jaffna Kings, 18th Match in LPL 2026:
Lahiru Udara is the leading run-scorer this season by a distance. He has amassed 354 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 160.18. Pawan Sandesh came back into the side and opened in the last game but scored just 23 off 17 balls. Dale Phillips, meanwhile, has registered scores of 2 and 0 in the last two games.
Middle-order: Moeen Ali, Angelo Mathews (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Vijay Shankar, Dushan Hemantha
Moeen Ali has made some decent contributions with bat and ball but none of the have been outstanding. Angelo Mathews retired hurt in the last game. Kandy fans will hope that he regains full fitness for the important fixture. Wanindu Hasaranga has scored 94 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 159.32. With the ball, he has taken four wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 7.92. Vijay Shankar has aggregated 121 runs in seven innings at an average of 40.33 and a strike rate of 161.33. However, he hasn’t been used much with the ball. Dushan Hemantha, meanwhile, has taken seven wickets in seven games at an economy rate of 8.66.
Shaheen Afridi has accounted for seven wickets in five games at an economy rate of 9.52. Kandy will need more from him heading into the business end of the season. Nuwan Thushara, however, is the joint-highest wicket-taker, having picked up 12 scalps in seven games. Compatriot Asitha Fernando, however, has not been at his best. In seven games, he has taken three wickets, conceding runs at an average of 10.71 per over.
Kandy Royals Predicted Playing XI: Lahiru Udara (WK), Dale Phillips, Moeen Ali, Angelo Mathews (C), Vijay Shankar, Pawan Sandesh, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Shaheen Afridi, Asitha Fernando.
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When and where will the match be played?
The match will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, July 30.
What could be a winning score in this match?
A score of around 190 could be competitive. Batters are expected to dominate proceedings.
Which player can make the biggest difference?
Lahiru Udara could be the player to watch out for. He is coming off a splendid century in the last game.
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