News
Kusal Perera likely to miss Afghanistan series due to hamstring injury

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka 2023
Availability to be decided after scans
Wanindu Hasaranga picks up a knee injury during IPL
Dimuth Karunaratne added to the preliminary squad as an injury cover
Dashing batter Kusal Janith Perera is likely to miss the forthcoming Afghanistan ODI series after he picked up a hamstring injury during training.
His availability is on the line, as a decision on his availability for the series will be taken next week after he undergoes scans for his hamstring injury, sources at SLC revealed.
“KJP’s availability for the Afghanistan tour will be decided next week after undergoing scans for his hamstring injury. For now, he is likely to miss the series”, the source added.
Kusal Perera made his first appearance in international cricket following 16 months of recovery from a shoulder injury last month during the three-match T20 series against the Kiwis.
He made a strong comeback to competitive cricket with knocks of 53*, 35 and 35 against the Black Caps to prove his return in style. Frequent injuries have dealt a big blow to his career. However, this time around his injury seems to be a minor one from which hopefully he will recover within 1-2 weeks.
It is learnt, in order to manage his workload, he is likely to be rested for the Afghanistan Series and might consider him as a potential option for the ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe in June and July.
The 32-year-old left-hander has already played 61 T-20 and 107 ODI’s and his vast experience has always been an added strength to the Sri Lanka white ball team. The hard-hitting stroke maker has the ability to accelerate the innings while occasionally keeping wickets.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has been dealt another major blow with Wanindu Hasaranga picking up an injury during the ongoing India Premier League (IPL) on his right knee.
Though Wanindu is still in India fulfilling his IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore, the Sri Lanka Cricket board is yet to get a full update on his injury, which they hope to get within the next 2-3 days after which they will decide.
Earlier, certain media reported that Pathum Nissanka had injury concerns, but it is learnt that the 25-year-old has now fully recovered and is available for the upcoming series.
Dimuth Karunaratne added to the preliminary squad
In a major twist, red ball skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has been included in the preliminary squad for the World Cup qualification tournament and the Afghanistan team’s tour to Sri Lanka as injury cover.
The Sri Lankan selection committee recently named a preliminary squad for the one-day World Cup qualification tournament in Zimbabwe next month. Current Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne was not named in the thirty-man one-day squad.
However, reliable sources stated that due to injury concerns, Dimuth’s name had been included in the ODI squad again.
The last time Dimuth represented Sri Lanka in an ODI was in 2020 and was the captain of the national team.
උදරයේ ආබාධයක් හේතුවෙන් කුසල් පෙරේරාට ඇෆ්ගනිස්තාන තරගාවලිය අහිමි වීමට ඉඩ තිබේ
2023 ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථාන සංචාරය
තිබේද යන්න ස්කෑන් කිරීමෙන් පසුව තීරණය කළ යුතුය
IPL තරඟය අතරතුර වනිඳු හසරංග දණහිසේ ආබාධයකට ලක්වෙයි
දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න ආබාධ ආවරණයක් ලෙස මූලික සංචිතයට එක් කළේය
පුහුණුවීම් අතරතුර මස්පිඩුවල ආබාධයකට ලක්වීම හේතුවෙන් දක්ෂ පිතිකරු කුසල් ජනිත් පෙරේරාට එළඹෙන ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථාන එක්දින තරගාවලිය අහිමිවීමට බොහෝ දුරට ඉඩ තිබේ.
ඔහුගේ මස්පිඩු ආබාධය සඳහා ස්කෑන් පරීක්ෂණයකට භාජනය කිරීමෙන් පසු ඔහු තරඟාවලිය සඳහා ලබා ගත හැකිද යන්න පිළිබඳ තීරණයක් ලබන සතියේ ගනු ඇති බැවින් ඔහුගේ පැමිණීමේ හැකියාව පවතින බව ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රිකට් ආරංචි මාර්ග අනාවරණය කළේය.
“KJP ඇෆ්ගනිස්තාන සංචාරය සඳහා ලබා ගත හැකි ද යන්න තීරණය කරනු ලබන්නේ ඔහුගේ මස්පිඩු ආබාධය සඳහා ස්කෑන් පරීක්ෂණයකට භාජනය කිරීමෙන් පසුවය. මේ වන විට ඔහුට මාලාව මග හැරීමට බොහෝ දුරට ඉඩ තිබේ”, මූලාශ්රය වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.
කුසල් පෙරේරා සිය පළමු ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් පිටියට පිවිසියේ පසුගිය මාසයේ කිවීස් පිලට එරෙහිව පැවැති තරග තුනකින් සමන්විත විස්සයි20 තරගාවලියේදී උරහිසේ ආබාධයකට ලක්ව මාස 16කට පසුව සුවය ලැබීමෙන් පසුවය.
බ්ලැක් කැප්ස් කණ්ඩායමට එරෙහිව ලකුණු 53*, 35 සහ 35 දවා ගනිමින් ඔහු තරඟකාරී ක්රිකට් වෙත ප්රබල පුනරුත්ථාපනයක් සිදු කළේය. නිරන්තර ආබාධ ඔහුගේ වෘත්තීය ජීවිතයට විශාල පහරක් එල්ල කර ඇත. කෙසේ වෙතත්, මෙවර ඔහුගේ ආබාධය සුළු එකක් වන අතර, සති 1-2 කින් ඔහු සුව වනු ඇතැයි අපේක්ෂා කෙරේ.
ඔහුගේ කාර්ය භාරය කළමනාකරණය කිරීම සඳහා, ඔහු ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථාන තරඟාවලිය සඳහා විවේක ගැනීමට ඉඩ ඇති අතර, ජුනි සහ ජූලි මාසවලදී සිම්බාබ්වේ හි පැවැත්වෙන එක්දින ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරඟ සඳහා විභව විකල්පයක් ලෙස ඔහු සලකා බැලිය හැකිය.
32 හැවිරිදි වමත් පිතිකරුවා මේ වන විටත් විස්සයි20 තරග 61කට සහ එක්දින තරග 107කට ක්රීඩා කර ඇති අතර ඔහුගේ අතිවිශාල අත්දැකීම් ශ්රී ලංකා වයිට්බෝල් කණ්ඩායමට සෑම විටම අමතර ශක්තියක් වී ඇත. දැඩි පහරක් එල්ල කරන පහර සාදන්නාට ඉඳහිට කඩුලු දවා ගනිමින් ඉනිම වේගවත් කිරීමේ හැකියාව ඇත.
මේ අතර, දැනට පැවැත්වෙන ඉන්දීය ප්රිමියර් ලීග් (IPL) තරගාවලිය අතරතුර වනිඳු හසරංගගේ දකුණු දණහිසේ ආබාධයකට ලක්වීමත් සමඟ ශ්රී ලංකාවට තවත් විශාල පහරක් එල්ල වී තිබේ.
වනිඳු රෝයල් චැලෙන්ජර්ස් බැංගලෝර් සමඟ IPL ගිවිසුම ඉටු කරමින් තවමත් ඉන්දියාවේ සිටියද, ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රිකට් පාලක මණ්ඩලය ඔහුගේ ආබාධය පිළිබඳව තවමත් සම්පූර්ණ යාවත්කාලීනයක් ලබාගෙන නොමැති අතර, ඔවුන් ඉදිරි දින 2-3 තුළ එය ලබා ගැනීමට බලාපොරොත්තු වන අතර පසුව ඔවුන් තීරණය කරනු ඇත.
පැතුම් නිශ්ශංක ආබාධයකට ලක්ව ඇති බවට මීට පෙර ඇතැම් මාධ්ය වාර්තා කළ නමුත් 25 හැවිරිදි ඔහු මේ වන විට සම්පූර්ණයෙන් සුවය ලබා ඉදිරි තරග මාලාවට සහභාගි වී සිටින බව දැනගන්නට ඇත.
දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න මූලික සංචිතයට එක් කළේය
ප්රධාන පෙරළියක් ලෙස රතු පන්දු නායක දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න ආබාධ ආවරණයක් ලෙස ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරගාවලියේ සහ ඇෆ්ගනිස්ථාන කණ්ඩායමේ ශ්රී ලංකා සංචාරයේ මූලික සංචිතයට ඇතුළත් කර තිබේ.
ලබන මාසයේ සිම්බාබ්වේ හිදී පැවැත්වෙන එක්දින ලෝක කුසලාන සුදුසුකම් ලැබීමේ තරගාවලිය සඳහා ශ්රී ලංකා තේරීම් කමිටුව විසින් මූලික සංචිතයක් පසුගියදා නම් කරන ලදී. තිස් දෙනෙකුගෙන් යුත් එක්දින සංචිතයට වත්මන් ටෙස්ට් නායක දිමුත් කරුණාරත්න නම් කර නැහැ.
කෙසේ වෙතත්, විශ්වාස කටයුතු ආරංචි මාර්ග සඳහන් කළේ ආබාධ තත්ත්වය හේතුවෙන් දිමුත්ගේ නම නැවතත් එක්දින සංචිතයට ඇතුළත් කර ඇති බවයි.
දිමුත් අවසන් වරට ශ්රී ලංකාව එක්දින තරගයක් නියෝජනය කළේ 2020 දී වන අතර ජාතික කණ්ඩායමේ නායකයා විය.
தொடை காயம் காரணமாக குசல் பெரேரா ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் தொடரை இழக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது
இலங்கைக்கான ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் சுற்றுப்பயணம் 2023
ஸ்கேன் செய்த பிறகு கிடைக்கும் தன்மையை முடிவு செய்ய வேண்டும்
ஐபிஎல் போட்டியின் போது வனிந்து ஹசரங்க முழங்காலில் காயம் அடைந்தார்
திமுத் கருணாரத்ன காயம் மறைப்பாக ஆரம்ப அணியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டார்
பயிற்சியின் போது தொடை தசையில் ஏற்பட்ட காயம் காரணமாக, டாஷிங் பேட்டர் குசல் ஜனித் பெரேரா, ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் ஒருநாள் தொடரை இழக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது.
அவரது தொடை எலும்பு காயத்திற்கு ஸ்கேன் செய்யப்பட்ட பிறகு அடுத்த வாரம் தொடரில் அவர் கிடைப்பது குறித்து முடிவு எடுக்கப்படும் என SLC இன் வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவித்தன.
“கேஜேபி ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் சுற்றுப்பயணத்தில் அவரது தொடை எலும்பு காயத்திற்கு ஸ்கேன் செய்த பிறகு அடுத்த வாரம் முடிவு செய்யப்படும். இப்போதைக்கு, அவர் தொடரை இழக்க வாய்ப்புள்ளது” என்று அந்த வட்டாரம் மேலும் கூறியது.
குசல் பெரேரா கடந்த மாதம் கிவிஸுக்கு எதிரான மூன்று போட்டிகள் கொண்ட டி20 தொடரின் போது தோள்பட்டை காயத்திலிருந்து 16 மாதங்கள் குணமடைந்ததைத் தொடர்ந்து சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட்டில் தனது முதல் தோற்றத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தினார்.
அவர் பிளாக் கேப்ஸுக்கு எதிராக 53*, 35 மற்றும் 35 ரன்களுடன் போட்டி கிரிக்கெட்டுக்கு வலுவான மறுபிரவேசம் செய்தார். அடிக்கடி ஏற்படும் காயங்கள் அவரது கேரியருக்கு பெரும் அடியாக அமைந்தது. இருப்பினும், இந்த நேரத்தில் அவரது காயம் சிறியதாகத் தெரிகிறது, அதில் இருந்து அவர் 1-2 வாரங்களுக்குள் குணமடைவார் என்று நம்புகிறேன்.
அவரது பணிச்சுமையை நிர்வகிப்பதற்காக, ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் தொடரில் அவருக்கு ஓய்வு அளிக்கப்படலாம் என்றும், ஜூன் மற்றும் ஜூலை மாதங்களில் ஜிம்பாப்வேயில் நடைபெறவுள்ள ஒருநாள் உலகக் கோப்பை தகுதிச் சுற்றுப் போட்டிகளுக்கு அவரை ஒரு சாத்தியமான தேர்வாகக் கருதலாம் என்றும் அறியப்படுகிறது.
32 வயதான இடது கை ஆட்டக்காரர் ஏற்கனவே 61 T-20 மற்றும் 107 ODI போட்டிகளில் விளையாடியுள்ளார் மற்றும் அவரது பரந்த அனுபவம் எப்போதும் இலங்கை வெள்ளை பந்து அணிக்கு கூடுதல் பலமாக உள்ளது. கடின அடிக்கும் ஸ்ட்ரோக் தயாரிப்பாளருக்கு எப்போதாவது விக்கெட் கீப்பிங் செய்யும் போது இன்னிங்ஸை விரைவுபடுத்தும் திறன் உள்ளது.
இதற்கிடையில், நடந்து வரும் இந்திய பிரீமியர் லீக் (ஐபிஎல்) போட்டியின் போது வனிந்து ஹசரங்காவின் வலது முழங்காலில் காயம் ஏற்பட்டதால் இலங்கைக்கு மற்றொரு பெரிய அடி ஏற்பட்டது.
வனிந்து ராயல் சேலஞ்சர்ஸ் பெங்களூரு உடனான தனது ஐபிஎல் ஒப்பந்தத்தை நிறைவேற்றி இன்னும் இந்தியாவில் இருக்கிறார் என்றாலும், இலங்கை கிரிக்கெட் வாரியம் அவரது காயம் குறித்து இன்னும் முழு புதுப்பிப்பைப் பெறவில்லை, அடுத்த 2-3 நாட்களுக்குள் அவர்கள் முடிவு செய்வார்கள் என்று அவர்கள் நம்புகிறார்கள்.
முன்னதாக, பாதம் நிஸ்ஸங்கவுக்கு காயம் இருப்பதாக சில ஊடகங்கள் செய்தி வெளியிட்டன, ஆனால் 25 வயதான அவர் தற்போது முழுமையாக குணமடைந்து வரவிருக்கும் தொடருக்கு தயாராக இருக்கிறார்.
திமுத் கருணாரத்ன முதற்கட்ட அணியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டார்
ஒரு முக்கிய திருப்பமாக, சிவப்பு பந்து கேப்டன் திமுத் கருணாரத்ன உலகக் கோப்பை தகுதிப் போட்டிக்கான ஆரம்ப அணியிலும், காயம் மறைப்பாக ஆப்கானிஸ்தான் அணியின் இலங்கை சுற்றுப்பயணத்திலும் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்.
அடுத்த மாதம் ஜிம்பாப்வேயில் நடைபெறவுள்ள ஒரு நாள் உலகக் கோப்பை தகுதிச் சுற்றுப் போட்டிக்கான பூர்வாங்க அணியை இலங்கை தேர்வுக் குழு சமீபத்தில் அறிவித்தது. முப்பது பேர் கொண்ட ஒருநாள் அணியில் தற்போதைய டெஸ்ட் கேப்டன் திமுத் கருணாரத்ன இடம் பெறவில்லை.
எனினும், காயம் காரணமாக திமுத்தின் பெயர் மீண்டும் ஒருநாள் அணியில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக நம்பகமான வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவித்தன.
கடைசியாக 2020 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஒருநாள் போட்டியில் இலங்கையைப் பிரதிநிதித்துவப்படுத்திய திமுத், தேசிய அணியின் தலைவராக இருந்தார்.
Athletics
Three Sri Lankan Athletes Qualify for World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025
Colombo: In a historic achievement for Sri Lankan athletics, three national athletes have officially qualified for the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2025, set to take place from May 21 to 23 in Nanjing, China. This marks Sri Lanka’s largest representation at the prestigious event in over two decades.
Sri Lankan Athletes Heading to Nanjing 2025
The three Sri Lankan athletes who secured their spots based on performances and world rankings are:
- Chamod Yodasinghe – 60m Sprint
- Kalinga Kumarage – 400m
- Kaveesha Bandara – 60m Hurdles
Their qualification comes after impressive performances at the inaugural National Short Course Championship, highlighting Sri Lanka’s growing potential in indoor athletics.
A Historic Moment for Sri Lanka
The last time Sri Lanka sent a team to the World Athletics Indoor Championships was in 2001 (Lisbon), where four athletes represented the nation. This latest qualification marks the largest contingent in over 20 years, showcasing significant progress despite limited indoor competition opportunities in Sri Lanka.
With preparations underway, these athletes will aim to make an impact on the global stage and elevate Sri Lanka’s presence in international athletics.
Stay tuned for more updates on Sri Lanka’s journey to Nanjing 2025!
News
Chinese Government Pledges Support for Sri Lanka’s Sports and Youth Development
Colombo: In a significant move towards strengthening sports and youth development in Sri Lanka, Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong met with Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumar Gamage, and Deputy Minister Eranga Gunasekara today (26) at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
During the meeting, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong congratulated the newly appointed ministers and reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s sports and youth programs. Discussions centered on enhancing bilateral cooperation and exploring actionable initiatives to uplift sports development in the country.
A key highlight of the discussions was China’s willingness to promote sports such as Tai Chi and Dragon Boat Racing in Sri Lanka. This initiative aligns with the broader vision of fostering international sports collaboration and expanding the sporting culture within the country.
This renewed partnership marks an important step in Sri Lanka’s sports development, paving the way for future investments and technical support to enhance local sporting infrastructure and training programs.
Stay tuned for more updates on this collaboration and its impact on Sri Lankan sports!
Football
Sri Lanka to Host the Prestigious 2025 SAFF Championship After 17 Years
Colombo: Sri Lanka has officially been granted the hosting rights for the 2025 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, set to take place in June 2025. The decision marks a historic moment for Sri Lankan football, as the nation last hosted the tournament in 2008 alongside the Maldives.
The SAFF Championship is widely regarded as the “World Cup of South Asia,” bringing together the best footballing nations from the region. The 2025 edition will feature seven teams:
- India (Defending champions and most successful team)
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Maldives
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka (Host nation)
With the backing of home supporters, Sri Lanka will look to capitalize on this opportunity and aim for a deep run in the competition.
SAFF Championship: A Look at Past Editions and Winners
The SAFF Championship, first held in 1993, has seen 14 editions so far. India has been the most dominant team in the tournament’s history, winning a record 9 titles. The Maldives and Bangladesh have each won the tournament twice, while Sri Lanka claimed their only title in 1995, when they hosted the event in Colombo.
Here is a look at the past winners:
- India – 9 titles (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2023)
- Maldives – 2 titles (2008, 2018)
- Bangladesh – 2 titles (2003, 2023)
- Sri Lanka – 1 title (1995)
Sri Lanka’s return as the host nation in 2025 gives them a golden opportunity to reclaim the championship after 30 years.
If executed well, the 2025 SAFF Championship could mark the beginning of a new era for Sri Lankan football, helping the nation rise again in South Asian football.
Can Sri Lanka make the most of this historic opportunity? The countdown to SAFF 2025 begins!
-
Live3 years ago
Live Broadcast of Syria vs Sri Lanka | AFC U23 Asian Championship Qualification
-
Football1 month ago
Sri Lanka Schools National Championship 2025: Super 8 Fixtures and Grouping
-
Cricket1 month ago
Sri Lanka vs Australia 2nd Test: Spin to Dominate as Galle Pitch Set to Turn
-
Football2 months ago
FFSL Rebrands Division-1 as ‘League-One’ with a Bold New Vision
-
Football2 months ago
Sri Lanka Football: Upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualification Matches & Fixtures
-
Football3 weeks ago
Sri Lanka Schools National Championship 2024: Super Eight Round Concludes – Semifinalists Confirmed!
-
Football2 months ago
Erling Haaland Signs Record-Breaking 9.5-Year Contract Extension with Manchester City
-
Cricket2 months ago
Kumar Sangakkara to Lead Sri Lanka in International Masters League (IML) 2025