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Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne got injured while taking a catch in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022 clash between Kandy Falcons and Galle Gladiators on December 7. As per Daily Mirror, Karunaratne has lost four teeth as he struggled to take the catch cleanly under lights. Karunaratne was taken to hospital as blood came gushing out of his mouth.
The incident took place in the fourth over of Gladiators' innings. Nuwanidu Fernando miscued an aerial shot off Carlos Brathwaite. The ball went up in the night sky. Three players made a run for it but Karunaratne managed to hold on. But before landing in his hands, the ball hit him on the lips. As soon as he took the catch, he lobbed the ball to his teammate who was standing nearby.
His teammates did not realise that Karunaratne had endured a freak injury as they walked towards him to celebrate the wicket. Meanwhile, with his hand on the mouth, Karunaratne made his way out of the ground immediately and was later taken to the hospital.
Earlier, the 26-year-old was suspended from all forms of cricket by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for one year for violations committed in Australia during T20 World Cup 2022. However, he represented Kandy Falcons in the ongoing LPL 2022.
As Karunaratne took the catch despite injury, Gladiators faced a collapse and lost half their side for 28 runs in the powerplay overs. After Brathwaite's 4/14, Gladiators managed to post a respectable total of 121/9, thanks to Movin Subasingha (40) and Imad Wasim's (34) 65-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Falcons made short work of the below par total. After an ideal start, Kamindu Mendis top-scored for Falcons with a 34-ball 44. Falcons chased down the target with five wickets in hand and five overs to spare.
This was Falcons' second win of the tournament as they sit at the top of points table with a net run rate of +3.925. In the previous game, opener Andre Fletcher smashed an unbeaten century whereas skipper Wanindu Hasaranga took the league's first hat-trick.
