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Defending champions take on Jaffna Kings in Qualifier 2 in Colombo on Saturday

Captain Wanindu Hasaranga has spoken about the friendly atmosphere within the team as Kandy Falcons prepare to play the Qualifier 2 of the Lanka Premier League 2024 in Colombo on Saturday night. Last year, Kandy Falcons had won three successive playoff games -- Eliminator, Qualifier 2 and Final -- to seal the LPL trophy. This year, they have made a winning start to the playoffs again, beating Colombo Strikers in the Eliminator.

“We have a great bunch of players,” Hasaranga said after taking 2/21 in the Eliminator victory. “Our overseas players are very friendly. Some of them have been with us for two years, so they are very friendly with the staff and the local players are also getting experience from them. Some of our local players are also experienced and they pass on that to the younger players. So it is a great team.”

Hasaranga said that having won three Playoffs games on the trot in LPL 2023, Kandy Falcons had the confidence in the ranks that they could do it again. In fact, this season, defending champions Kandy Falcons needed to win their last league game by a big margin to give themselves a chance of making the playoffs on a better net run-rate. They did exactly that, with a 54-run win over Dambulla Sixers.

In the Eliminator, Hasaranga praised his bowlers for keeping the target to a manageable 160. “Credit goes to the bowlers, they took the wickets and restricted them,” Hasaranga said.

Ahead of Qualifier 2, skipper Hasaranga asked for consistency from his players. “As players and as a team, we have to be consistent. We need to have consistency to win the tournament. Anyone can win matches, but to win tournaments, you need experience, confidence and consistency. That is the main thing,” Hasaranga said. Kandy Falcons will take on Jaffna Kings in Qualifier 2.