Sports

Four participants kicked out of LPL

Published

4 years ago

2021/11/19

by Rex Clementine

Four individuals have been kicked out of the second edition of the Lanka Premier League after the International Cricket Council informed Sri Lanka Cricket that they are ineligible to take part in the competition having played ‘unsanctioned cricket’.

All four had represented Sri Lanka in the last 15 years at some stage and they had been picked to be involved in the LPL. One of them was to function as a coach while the other three had been picked from the draft to play. However, now they have been thrown out because they had played an unsanctioned tournament in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Kenyan tournament had not been sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and if any player or coach takes part in unsanctioned tournaments he is automatically banned from getting involved in sanctioned cricket, which LPL is.

Sri Lanka has received lot of support from the ICC in fighting corruption in the sport and the suspension of the four players sends a strong message that players need to chose wisely which competition to play.

Meanwhile leading businessmen Asoka Pathirage has come up with a bid to buy the Colombo franchise. Earlier owned by an overseas businessmen, SLC found communication with them difficult and having consulted ICC it was decided to terminate the deal and offer a fresh deal to Pathirage’s Softlogic.

Pathirage had got into the act in double quick time putting up a formidable unit that is captained by Angelo Mathews and comprises other international and local stars.

An SLC official told The Island that the board had concerns over the Kandy franchise as well and were closely monitoring the situation Terminating their contract seems out of the equation as there is little over two weeks before the start of the tournament.

The first edition of LPL although was successful had several issues with corrupt approaches being made to the players and these approaches were reported to the ICC. Alex Marshall, the head of ICC Anti Corruption Unit commended the players constantly reporting these approaches. Leading into the second edition of the LPL Marshall also had warned the need to be vigilant.

The second edition of LPL will begin on the 5th December and will conclude on the 23rd of December. The first leg will be played at RPS while the teams will move to Hambantota for the knockouts.

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Sports

SLC rope in Rathour as batting coach ahead of World Cup

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Former India opener Vikram Rathour has been roped in as Sri Lanka’s Batting Coach ahead of the T20 World Cup, which the island nation will co-host twith India.

Sri Lanka Cricket have strengthened their backroom staff ahead of the World Cup by roping in former India opener Vikram Rathour as Batting Coach, SLC sources told The Island.

The 56-year-old brings a weighty CV to the dressing room, having been part of the Indian coaching set-up that lifted the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean in 2024. Rathour is currently serving as assistant coach of IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, but will join the Sri Lankan camp next week.

Rathour is expected to stay on through the six-match white-ball series against England at R. Premadasa Stadium and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, before overseeing the team’s final tune-up for the World Cup. With a proven track record and a reputation for technical clarity, SLC will be hoping he can help the batters find their range before the big dance.

SLC have steadily been bolstering their support staff. Power-hitting coach Julian Wood was hired last year and continues to work with both the men’s and women’s teams from the High Performance Centre.

Former India Fielding Coach R. Sridhar has also had a stint with Sri Lanka overseeing fielding standards and is currently in Dambulla working with the squad involved in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.

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Adding further firepower to the coaching arsenal, Sri Lanka great Lasith Malinga has been drafted in as fast-bowling coach up to the World Cup.

Sri Lanka have been placed in Group B of the 20-nation tournament alongside Australia, Oman, Zimbabwe and Ireland. The former champions open their campaign on February 8 against Ireland and are expected to progress to the second round, with Australia the only side ranked above them in the group.

An 18-member squad has already been named for the ongoing Pakistan series, with the final 15-man World Cup squad expected to be announced shortly.

The Sri Lankan leg of the tournament will be staged at R. Premadasa Stadium, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, while India will host the bulk of the competition, including the semi-finals and final. However, should Pakistan advance to the knock-out stages, both their semi-final and final will be played in Colombo under the hybrid model.

There has also been speculation that Bangladesh’s World Cup fixtures could be shifted to Colombo amid ongoing political tensions with India.

Sports

Mewan shines as Bens pull off three wicket win

Published

2 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Under 19 Cricket

St. Benedict’s pulled off an exciting three wickets victory over St. Aloysius’ as Mewan Dissanayake held the batting line up together with an unbeaten half century in the Under 19 Division I tier ‘B’ match at Karandeniya on Wednesday.

‎Bens beat St. Aloysius’ by three wickets at Karandeniya

‎Scores

‎St. Aloysius’ 167 all out in 54.5 overs

(Chanul Sanketh 23, Vinod Danushka 23, Sevitha Dumal 37, Dulsath Nimviru 29; Yohan Edirisinghe 2/18, Vihanga Rathnayake 3/24, Lithika Jayasundara 3/09) and 116 all out in 52.1 overs (Chanul Sanketh 44; Ayesh Gajanayake 3/27, Lithika Jayasundara 2/16, Mewan Dissanayake 3/30)

‎St. Benedict’s 144 for 5 overnight 167 all out in 45 overs

(Tehan Bitar 30, Vihanga Rathnayake 28, Sithum Hasaranga 36, Lithika Jayasundara 31; Chenul Nethmina 4/42, Hiviru Nimtharana 4/22) and 117 for 7 in 31.3 overs (Mewan Dissanayake 52n.o.; Hiviru Nimtharana 2/09, Oshadha Devinda 3/39)

‎First innings win for Thurstan at Thurstan ground

‎‎Scores

‎Thurstan 257 all out in 74.4 overs (Akhen de Alwis 25, Yohan Senanayake 34, Rison Jansen 20, Sethru Fernando 57, Rachintha de Silva 29, Udarsha Nimsara 23, Dewmika Hewapathirana 21; Minaga Ariyadasa 5/88, Thenusha Nimsara 2/92, Nethuja Bashitha 2/25) and 121 for 4 decl.in 30.3 overs (Yohan Senanayake 44, Rachintha de Silva 63n.o.)

‎Richmond 69 for 2 overnight 166 all out in 53.5 overs

(Chalindu Karunaratne 52, Ameesha Rasanjana 25; Yovun Silpa 3/46, Thanuga Palihawadana 4/44) and 68 for 3 in 25 overs (Ameesha Rasanjana 24n.o.; Thanuga Palihawadana 3/39)

Sports

Dialog secures ICC Media Rights

Published

3 hours ago

2026/01/8

Sahan Weerasooriya

Left to right: Yamith Anuradha, Senior Product Manager – Media and Home Business, Dialog Axiata PLC; Pubudu Aluthgedara, Vice President / Head of Media and Home Business, Dialog Axiata PLC; Lim Li San, Group Chief Operating Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC; R.M. Manivannan, Chairman, Supreme Global Holdings; Thambithurai Lokeshwaran, Group Chief Executive Officer, Supreme Global Holdings; Satish Iyer, Chief Business Officer, TV Supreme

Dialog Television announced that it has secured the exclusive media rights in Sri Lanka for all International Cricket Council (ICC) events from 2026 to 2028, alongside a free-to-air broadcast collaboration with TV Supreme.

This landmark agreement positions Dialog Television as the official Pay-TV broadcaster of ICC events in Sri Lanka, covering all major tournaments across Men’s, Women’s and Under-19 formats. The rights include the ICC Cricket World Cups and T20 World Cups for both Men and Women, the ICC World Test Championship Final, and other ICC-sanctioned international events during the 2026–2028 period.

Dialog Television also holds the exclusive OTT and mobile streaming rights for ICC events in Sri Lanka, enabling fans to follow the action across smartphones, tablets, and connected devices. Supported by Dialog’s high-speed mobile network and expanding 5G capabilities, this ensures a smooth, high-quality viewing experience, allowing fans to enjoy ICC matches seamlessly via the Dialog ViU+ app, wherever they choose to watch.

Complementing its Pay-TV coverage, Dialog Television has partnered with TV Supreme as the official free-to-air (FTA) broadcast partner in Sri Lanka, ensuring nationwide access to ICC events. TV Supreme is a fast-growing free-to-air television network with an established presence in cricket broadcasting.