Hyderabad: Ruhunu Eleven captain Mahela Udawatte was all praise for his batsmen especially Dinesh Chandimal, who played a key role in the side's four run win against Leicestershire in Champions League T20.
"He is our key player. After Sanath (Jayasuriya) and I got out early, he played a mature innings," Udawatte said at the post-match press conference
Chandimal smashed unbeaten 62 runs off 51 balls to help the team score 160 in 20 overs.
The skipper of the team from Sri Lanka said after losing two early wickets, the batsmen ensured that they play full 20 overs.
"We had to work hard for it. It was not a matter of fortune," he remarked when asked if his side was fortunate to score a win.
"He is our main batsmen. These kind of things happen. We played a practice match earlier and he batted very well in that," the Ruhunu captain said when asked about the failure of Jayasuriya.
"160 runs were chaseable. We should have probably won the match. It is very disappointing," said Leicestershire captain Andrew McDonald.
"It is pretty tough to play two games and then walk home when you start getting used to the conditions," he added.
Leicester, which needed 29 off the last five overs, could score 156 in 20 overs.
