After being asked to bat first, Jaffna Kings settled for 181/7 courtesy a blazing unbeaten hundred by opener Kusal Mendis. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 105 runs off 54 balls and the innings consisted of 12 fours and five sixes. This was his first LPL hundred. The second-highest run-scorer from the team was Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored 26 off 13 while coming to bat at number seven. The likes of Pathum Nissanka (18), Rilee Rossouw (7), Avishka Fernando (11), captain Charith Asalanka (4) and Dhananjaya de Silva (5) failed to score, but Mendis' blazing knock ensured Jaffna post a challenging target for Kandy Falcons. In reply, Kandy got off to a flying start and collected 48 runs in the first four overs. Opener Dinesh Chandimal was dismissed on the first ball of the fifth over for 11 runs off 10 balls, and most of the damage was done by his partner Andre Fletcher (38 off 21). However, West Indies left-arm spinner managed to send them back to the pavilion in successive overs to pull back Jaffna in the match. Pakistan star Mohammad Haris scored 26 off 20 and stitched a 31-run partnership with Kamindu Mendis before falling to Vijayakanth Viyaskanth in the 11th over. Kandy Falcons, who were 93/3 at the end of 10.5 overs, were soon reduced to 126/5 in 14.5 overs, and then 144/8 in 17.3 overs. Fabian Alen finished with figures of 24/4 in four overs, while Viyaskanth picked three wickets for 30 runs in three overs. 38 runs were required from the last two overs and Falcons were left with just two wickets when Kandy Falcons number 10 batter Ramesh Mendis (30 not out off 11) turned the heat on Jaffna. He smashed a four on the first ball of the 19th over from Jason Behrendorff before hitting a six on the next delivery. His batting partner Pawan Rathnayake also ended up sending the ball flying over the boundary rope on the fourth ball of the over. 16 was needed from the last four deliveries when Mendis once again managed a boundary, a double and a six to bring the equation to four off one ball. Ramesh Mendis swung his bat hard on the final delivery from Asitha Fernando but the miscued shot towards mid-wicket fetched only two runs as Jaffna Kings managed a narrow one-run win.