Sports
No fitness, no IPL
Many would argue that had Sri Lanka gone into the recent World Cup with all their big guns fit and firing, they might have reached the semis. That’s the popular line doing the rounds. But if we are calling it as we see it, this campaign was heading for a collapse even before the first ball was bowled.
Reappointing Dasun Shanaka as captain was a gamble, lacked foresight and in the end created divisions within the team. The decision to bring back Pramodya Wickremasinghe as Chairman of Selectors didn’t inspire confidence either. It was a move that had trouble written all over it, the kind that can unsettle a dressing room before a ball is even delivered. It’s like appointing Mervyn Silva as Public Relations Minister. A bull in a China shop is less troublesome than these two southerners.
Of course, injuries played their part. Losing Matheesha Pathirana and Eshan Malinga robbed the attack of bite, but the biggest dent was the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga. A proven match-winner, Hasaranga is the sort who can turn a game on its head in the space of a couple of overs. Without him, Sri Lanka were always chasing the game.
What is more concerning is the recurring nature of Hasaranga’s injuries. Missing yet another global tournament due to a hamstring issue raises serious questions. Over the last two years, the pattern has been far from encouraging, and for a professional cricketer, that’s an area that needs urgent attention.
Clearly frustrated by the injury crisis that derailed the campaign, Sri Lanka Cricket have decided to take a firmer stance. Players seeking No Objection Certificates for the IPL will now have to clear fitness tests first. It’s a step in the right direction and one that had been coming for some time.
In the past, when the board tried to assert control, players pushed back, often using franchise connections to apply pressure. This time, however, SLC seem prepared to stand their ground and ensure that national duty is not treated as optional.
There has to be a sense of accountability. It does not sit well when key players miss a World Cup and then turn up fully fit for franchise cricket. That is a contradiction that undermines both the team and the system.
Nuwan Thushara’s situation, however, presents a slightly different picture. The slinging seamer, who was not part of the World Cup squad, has also struggled to meet fitness standards. SLC have inserted a clause allowing them to withhold NOCs for three months beyond the contract period, a move that shows the board have learned from past lapses.
That said, Thushara’s case deserves a degree of empathy. At 31, he is nearing the latter stages of his career and opportunities like the IPL do not come around often. While fitness standards must be upheld, there is also room for discretion, particularly in cases where the player was not part of the World Cup plans.
If players are now seeking leniency, it also reflects gaps in how fitness has been managed over time. Preparation at this level is a long-term investment, not something that can be patched up overnight.
by Rex Clemetine
Chamari Athapaththu’s all-round show helped Sri Lanka level the ODI series against Bangladesh in Rajshahi. The visitors won by four wickets after chasing down the home side’s sub-par 165 all out in 45.5 overs.
Athapaththu, who had missed the first match due to a finger injury, roared back into action with three wickets. She started off with Sarmin Sultana’s wicket in the 16th over, although the batter expressed her disbelief at the umpire’s lbw decision against her. Athapaththu then removed Sobhana Mostary in her next over by having her caught at square leg.
Nilakshika Silva then took a brilliant catch at mid-off to help Athapaththu take her third wicket when Ritu Moni had mistimed a cover drive in the 31st over. Sharmin Akhter, Bangladesh’s top-scorer from the first ODI, fell for a duck to Malki Madara in the fifth over.
Captain Nigar Sultana top-scored on Wednesday with 58 off 101 balls with four boundaries. She had little support at the other end, before Nimesha Meepage had her caught behind in the 41st over.
Madara, Meepage and Inoka Ranaweera took two wickets each while Kavisha Dilhari picked up one.
During the chase, Athapaththu dominated the Bangladesh attack despite little support from her top order. She made 40 off 39 balls with eight fours, before falling to left-arm spinner Nahida Akhter in the 17th over. Nahida gave her a send-off, with Athapaththu staring back at her for several seconds before walking off.
Harshitha Samarawickrema and Hansima Karunaratne then added 79 runs for the fourth wicket to get Sri Lanka close to the 166-run target. Samarawickrama made 50 off 76 balls with seven fours, while Karunaratne struck six fours in her 40 off 64 balls.
Nahida removed both batters, before getting Kaushini Nuthyangana to complete her four-wicket haul. Sultana Khatun and Moni, meanwhile, took one wicket each.
The third and final ODI of the three-match series will also be held in Rajshahi, on April 25.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 166 for 6 in 38.2 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 40, Harshitha Samarawickrama 50, Hansima Karunaratne 40; Sultana Khatun 1-36, Ritu Moni 1-27, Nahida Akter 4-21) beat Bangladesh Women 165 in 45.5 overs (Sarmin Sultana 25, Nigar Sultana 58, Nahider Akter 20; Malki Madara 2-30, Nimesha Meepage 2-29, Inoka Ranaweera 2-28, Chamari Athapaththu 3-36, ) by four wickets
[Cricinfo]
The Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2026 will be held from 10th July to 5 August 2026.
The sixth edition of the much-anticipated T20 league will be played across four venues: SSC, Colombo; RPICS, Colombo; PICS, Pallekele; and RDICS, Dambulla.
The online portal for foreign player registration will open on 4th May 2026.
The tournament will be conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the owner of the LPL, in partnership with The IPG Group, the event rights holder of the tournament.
The Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka’s premier domestic T20 tournament with an international flavor, was launched in 2020.
Samantha Dodanwela, who is an Executive Committee Member of the SLC, will continue to function as the Tournament Director.
Wasim Khan will step down as the ICC’s general manager, cricket after four years in the role.
Wasim took over from Geoff Allardice in May 2022, after Allardice assumed the CEO role at the ICC. Wasim had arrived at the ICC after nearly three years as the PCB’s CEO.
Wasim was the first British-born Muslim to play county cricket, turning out for Warwickshire in the mid-to-late 90s. A left-handed batter, he played 58 first-class matches and 30 List A matches for Warwickshire, Sussex and Derbyshire. He was part of Warwickshire’s county title-winning campaign in 1995, averaging nearly 50 through the season.
He has since built an impressive administrative career, including a stint as CEO at Leicestershire county and before that at Cricket Foundation where he helped transform Chance to Shine into a leading national cricket charity in the UK.
One of the main challenges during Wasim’s stint at the ICC was an increasingly cramped cricket schedule with more T20 and T10 leagues eating into the space for international cricket. But in the last Future Tours Programme (2023-27) which was finalised during his time, there was actually an increase in the amount of international cricket. The first ever Women’s FTP was also unveiled in this period.
Wasim will finish at the end of June and is set to take up another role from July. His impending exit follows the departure of several senior ICC officials over the last two years, including Allardice – replaced by Sanjog Gupta as CEO – Chris Tetley (head of evens) and Alex Marshall, who led the anti-corruption unit. Tetley has been replaced by Gaurav Saxena and Marshall by Andrew Ephgrave.
[Cricinfo]
Cabinet approves establishment of Activity-Based Learning Centers at Regional Level for Commerce Education
M/s. Resources Development Consultants (Pvt) Ltd appointed to prepare Feasibility Study and detailed plans for the extension of the Kelani Valley Railway Line from Avissawella to Ratnapura
Import and Export (Control) Regulations No. 01 of 2026, issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, No. 1 of 1969, to be submitted for concurrence of the Parliament
Cabinet nod to establish ‘Sri Lanka Industrial Transformation and Innovation Authority ‘
Iraj Chaminda Pathiraja appointed Controller General of Immigration and Emigration
Implementation of the recommendations of the Report submitted by the Presidential Commission appointed to Inquiry on the Easter Sunday attacks and the Then Sectoral Oversight Committee on National Security.
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