A fighting half century by Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhan couldn’t save Dambulla Sixers from a 43-run loss to Kandy Royals in Lanka Premier League.
It was also the first win for Kandy Royals in the tournament.
🚨 Sahibzada Farhan is tearing up the LPL! 🔥
— Talha Nawaz (@TalhaDigital007) July 21, 2026
– The Pakistani opener smashed 74 off just 45 balls in the Lanka Premier League pic.twitter.com/t6XKg4pcQq
The Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium witnessed Kandy Royals put on an impressive 194 for 6 wickets in 20 overs.
Lahiru Udara hit an impressive 51 off 34 balls to give the team a solid start at the top of the order.
Then, Captain Angelo Mathews came out with a bold contribution in the final overs to take the team to a hard-to-reach target.
Dambulla Sixers began the game with a momentum and were chasing 195 and Pakistani batsman Sahibzada Farhan was at the helm of the innings.
The right-hander scored 74 runs after hitting both fours and sixes, off 45 deliveries.
Read more: Sahibzada Farhan becomes ‘ICC player of the month’
Farhan also managed to form good partnerships with Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella to keep Dambulla in the chase.
But things came to a dramatic change following Farhan’s dismissal.
Dambulla’s batting line-up failed to come up to the mark with Kandy bowlers keeping them in pressure.
The wickets were lost in a steady manner and the chase was soon disrupted, resulting in the whole team being bowled out for 151 runs to give Kandy Royals the win.
Fast bowler Nuwan Thushara was a match winner for Kandy Royals.
He took four wickets for 29 runs in four overs, and stopped Dambulla’s middle and lower order, in the process securing the first victory of the campaign.
Although the Sixers lost the game, Sahibzada Farhan’s fluent knocks were the best thing about the match.
Also read: Farhan, Abrar among Pakistan’s top performers in latest ICC rankings
