News

Overseas Football Players who are eligible to Represent Sri Lanka

Published

5 years ago

November 26, 2020

Editor

There are currently numerous players with strong Sri Lankan roots who play football in Overseas Leagues. Football Sri Lanka has kept a close eye on all these players, tracking their progress and skill levels to see which players can bring a positive impact to the Sri Lankan National Team

The following five players have already applied for dual citizenship and started the necessary processes of making it into the National squad, while the rest are yet to start any such procedures;

Players who are already applied for the Dual Citizenship to represent the National Team

Hamilton O Mervyn

Age : 32 yrs. (DOB: 8 Oct 1988)

Height : 6’

Citizenship : British

Position : Midfield

Current club : Whitehawk FC

League : Whitehawk FC is a Semi Professional, non-league English football club based in Whitehawk, a suburb of the city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. Whitehawk FC play in the Isthmian South East Division (English non-league step 4 – Level 8)

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

2. Reef Sebastian Peries

Age : 19 yrs (DOB: 30 Oct. 2001)

Height : 5’ 11”

Citizenship : British

Position : Right Wing Back

Current club : Woking FC (Academy Team)

League : Woking Football Club is a semi-professional association football club, based in Woking, Surrey, England. Founded in 1889, the club plays its home matches at Kingfield Stadium and is nicknamed the Cardinals. Currently, they compete in the National League, the fifth tier of English football.

Category : Sri Lankan Grandparent

3. Ryan Anthony Peries

Age :18 yrs (DOB: 20 Jul 2002)

Height : 6’ 2”

Citizenship : British

Position : Midfield

Current club : Bournemouth University FC

Category : Sri Lankan Grandparent

4. Haneef Mohamed Haseef Mohamed

Age : 27 yrs (DOB: 23 Aug 1993)

Height : 5’ 6”

Citizenship : Switzerland

Position : Left / Right Winger, Attacking Midfielder

Current club : FC Engstringen

League : FC Engstringen plays in the Football Association of the Zurich Region FVRZ 3rd League of Swiss Football Association.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

5. Vigneswaran Dagsan

Age : 16 yrs (DOB: 02 May 2004)

Height : 6’

Citizenship : Switzerland

Position : Center Back / Midfielder

Current club : Lausanne Sport

League : FC Engstringen plays in the Football Association of the Zurich Region FVRZ 3rd League of Swiss Football Association.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

Players who are eligible to apply for the Dual Citizenship to represent the National Team

Claudio Matthias

Age : 21 yrs (DOB: 7 July 1999)

Height : 6’ 1”

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : Center Back, Left Back, Right Back

Current club : SC Freiburg

League : Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga. SC Freiburg II is the reserve team of German association football club SC Freiburg plays in the Regionalliga Südwest (English: Regional League Southwest) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saarland. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regionalliga Bayern, Regionalliga Nordost, Regionalliga Nord, and the Regionalliga West.

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

2. Canistan Regize

Age : 23 yrs (DOB: 25 Mar 1997)

Height : 5’ 7”

Citizenship : French

Position : Midfielder

Current club : FC Montceau, Boergogne

League : Football Club Montceau Bourgogne is a French association football team founded in 1948. They are based in Montceau-les-Mines, Bourgogne, France and are currently playing in the Championnat National 3. The league serves as the fifth division of the French Football League.

Category : Sri Lankan Father & Mother

3. Kelly Garrett Christopher

Age : 24 yrs (DOB: 13 Apr 1996)

Height : 6’ 1”

Citizenship : British

Position : Central Midfield

Current club : Almyros Gaziou FC (Greece)

League : Almyros Gaziou FC plays in the Gamma Ethniki the fourth highest football league in Greece.

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

4. Manimeldura Leon Perera

Age : 23 yrs (DOB: 1 Jan 1997)

Height : 5’ 8”

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : Central Midfield

Current club : MTV Treubund Lüneburg

League : MTV Treubund Lüneburg competes in the Landesliga Lüneburg, called the Bezirksoberliga Lüneburg from 1979 to 1994 and 2006 to 2010, is the sixth tier of the German football league system and the second-highest league in the German state of Lower Saxony.

Category : Sri Lankan Father

5. Tiffan Anthonypillai

Age : 18 yrs. (DOB: 21 Sep 2002)

Height : 5’ 7”

Citizenship : Canadian

Position : Right Back

Current club : Cs Saint-Laurent, Montréal,Canada

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

6. Chikereuba Tochokwu Francis

Age : 27 yrs (DOB: 24 Apr 1993)

Height : 6’ 3”

Citizenship : Nigerian

Position : Central Defender

Current club : Java Lane SC, Colombo

League : Champions League – Sri Lanka

Category : Sri Lankan Spouse & Children

7. Poopathithasan Nilooshan

Age : 19 yrs (DOB: 19 Jul 2001)

Height : TBC

Citizenship : Deutsch (German)

Position : TBC

Current club : TBC

Category : Sri Lankan Mother

Furthermore, Waseem Razeek and his brother Muzakir Razeek already eligible to represent the country.

Cricket

KKR Bring in Luvnith Sisodia as Replacement for Injured Matheesha Pathirana

Published

27 minutes ago

May 25, 2026

Editor

Kolkata Knight Riders have drafted in Karnataka wicketkeeper-batter Luvnith Sisodia as a replacement for Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana ahead of their crucial final league-stage fixture against Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.

Pathirana has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during KKR’s victory over Gujarat Titans last weekend. The Sri Lankan speedster, one of the franchise’s marquee signings at the auction, was bought for a massive INR 18 crore but endured an injury-plagued campaign.

The 23-year-old had already missed the early stages of the season due to a left calf injury sustained during Sri Lanka’s Super Eight campaign at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Although he eventually joined the squad in mid-April after recovering, his comeback proved short-lived.
Making his first appearance for KKR against Gujarat Titans, Pathirana bowled just 1.2 overs before leaving the field in visible discomfort with a left hamstring problem. Subsequent medical assessments confirmed that he would take no further part in the tournament.
In response, KKR have turned to Luvnith Sisodia, a promising left-handed wicketkeeper-batter from Karnataka. Sisodia has featured in 13 T20 matches at the domestic level but is still awaiting his IPL debut.

The youngster is no stranger to the IPL environment, having previously spent time with Royal Challengers Bengaluru before being picked up by KKR during the 2025 mega auction. His inclusion also strengthens Kolkata’s wicketkeeping options following injuries to Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was sidelined after suffering a concussion and finger fracture earlier in the campaign.

KKR’s playoff hopes remain slim but alive heading into their final round-robin encounter. The defending champions will first need Rajasthan Royals to lose against Mumbai Indians. Even then, Kolkata must secure a convincing victory over Delhi Capitals to improve their net run rate sufficiently and overtake Punjab Kings for a place in the Eliminator.

Cricket

LPL 2026 Attracts Massive Overseas Interest With Over 650 Registrations

Published

35 minutes ago

May 25, 2026

Editor

The sixth edition of the Lanka Premier League has generated strong international interest, with more than 650 overseas cricketers registering for the 2026 player draft ahead of the tournament scheduled later this year.

According to the organisers, players from 21 cricket-playing nations have entered the registration pool, highlighting the growing global appeal of Sri Lanka’s premier franchise T20 competition.

The largest number of registrations from ICC Full Member nations came from Pakistan, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Australia and England. Pakistan topped the list with 102 players registering for the draft, while 75 players from the West Indies and 66 from South Africa also entered their names.

Bangladesh contributed 48 registrations, New Zealand 41, Australia 24, England 15 and India 12 players.

Several Associate Member nations have also shown strong representation, particularly the USA, UAE and Ireland, further underlining the league’s expanding international footprint.
Despite the large number of applications, only 310 overseas players will make the final shortlist for the Lanka Premier League 2026 player draft following a screening process conducted by the tournament organisers.

The official player draft is scheduled to be held on June 1, where the franchises will assemble their squads for the upcoming season.

The Lanka Premier League 2026 is set to run from July 17 to August 8 and is expected to feature a blend of international stars and Sri Lanka’s leading local talent.

Since its inception, the LPL has continued to grow in stature and has become an important platform for Sri Lankan players to compete alongside experienced overseas professionals while also attracting wider international attention to the country’s domestic cricket structure.

Cricket

Sri Lanka ‘A’ Women Cruise Past New Zealand ‘A’ Behind Vishmi, Dewmi Show

Published

1 day ago

May 23, 2026

Editor

Vishmi Gunaratne produced a composed unbeaten half-century while Dewmi Vihanga starred with the ball as Sri Lanka ‘A’ Women secured a dominant 56-run victory over New Zealand ‘A’ Women in the second unofficial ODI at the Dambulla International Stadium on Saturday.
Batting first in the 20-over encounter, the hosts recovered from a few middle-order setbacks to post an imposing 152 for 5, with Vishmi anchoring the innings brilliantly.

Sri Lanka made a lively start through Sanjana Kavindi, who attacked the New Zealand bowlers early with a quickfire 27 off 20 balls, striking six boundaries before falling to Jess Watkin.
Vishmi then took charge of the innings, combining caution with timely aggression to keep the scoreboard moving. The left-hander found strong support from Vimoksha Balasuriya, who added 33 off 27 deliveries with two fours and two sixes during an important middle-order stand.

Although Sri Lanka lost a cluster of wickets late in the innings, Dewmi Vihanga’s explosive finish gave the innings further momentum. Dewmi blasted an unbeaten 14 from only three balls, including a six and two boundaries, helping the hosts finish strongly at the death.
New Zealand ‘A’ began the chase poorly and struggled to recover after losing wickets regularly against disciplined Sri Lankan bowling.

Captain Jess Watkin was dismissed in the opening over before Chamudi Praboda removed both Kate Anderson and JA Watkins to leave the visitors under pressure.

The innings never gained stability as Sri Lanka tightened their grip through the middle overs. Dewmi Vihanga then delivered the decisive blows, dismissing Tash Wakelin, Bella Armstrong and the dangerous Emma Black to effectively end New Zealand’s hopes.

Emma Black provided the lone resistance with an aggressive 28 off 20 balls, but the visitors were eventually bowled out for 96 in 19.5 overs.

Dewmi finished with impressive figures of 3 for 19 while Chamudi Praboda supported well with 2 for 15 as Sri Lanka ‘A’ completed a comprehensive all-round performance.