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Kusal Perera likely to miss Afghanistan series due to hamstring injury

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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.

Football

FFSL Misses FIFA Opportunities Again Amid Concerns of Transparency and Inaction

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While FIFA continues to invest heavily in global football development through initiatives like Forward 3.0 and Football for Schools (F4S), the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) once again finds itself lagging behind—not because of lack of funding opportunities, but due to its own failures in administration, planning, and transparency.

Millions Left on the Table

FIFA’s Forward 3.0 programme offers USD 8 million per member association for the 2023–2026 cycle—an increase from previous cycles. These funds are specifically allocated for operational costs and football development projects, including infrastructure, national team support, grassroots leagues, and more.

Under Forward 3.0, FIFA allocates:

  • USD 5 million for operational costs
  • USD 3 million for infrastructure and development projects

Yet, as of April 2025, FFSL has failed to fully leverage these funds. Most notably, Sri Lanka missed out on FIFA’s Football for Schools initiative, which offers USD 50,000, training content, digital platforms, and Adidas footballs for schools. Since the programme began in 2019, over 100 nations have actively rolled it out. Sri Lanka is not one of them.

Lack of Vision or Lack of Will?

Despite FIFA’s clear roadmap and generous funding, FFSL’s inability to fulfill the conditions required—such as active domestic leagues, functional youth structures, and proper digital systems—has blocked their eligibility for key fund releases.

The federation’s operations are also marred by repeated promises and half-baked publicity stunts. Take for example the international stadium project, which was announced multiple times across various locations—Port City, Negombo, and most recently Colombo—but not a single brick has been laid. These announcements appear to be more about media optics than serious project planning or execution.

Global Benchmark: A Stark Contrast

While other nations are making strides in football development using FIFA funds—as showcased in FIFA’s Member Associations in Focus – January 2025 (link)—Sri Lanka continues to fall behind. Countries like India, Nepal, and the Maldives have successfully hosted international matches, built infrastructure, and even expanded their youth programmes using Forward funding.

Meanwhile, FFSL’s financial practices continue to raise questions. A lack of clear audits, poorly executed projects, and insufficient stakeholder engagement have painted a picture of administrative incompetence.

Time for Accountability

As Sri Lanka’s football stagnates while the rest of Asia pushes forward, fans and stakeholders must demand greater transparency, professionalism, and action. It’s time the FFSL stopped making headlines and started building foundations—literally and metaphorically—for the future of football in the country.

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Athletics

Sri Lanka Secures Three Medals at Asian U18 Athletics Championships – Day 3 Highlights

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Dammam, Saudi Arabia – April 17

The third day of the 6th Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, delivered a vibrant mix of speed, strength, and rising talent from across the continent. Set against the backdrop of Prince Nayef Sports City, over 400 athletes representing 31 nations competed with passion and purpose. Among them, Sri Lanka earned three spots on the podium with standout performances in track and field.

🌟 Sewmini Fernando was the star on the track, sprinting to silver in the Girls’ 100m final. Clocking an impressive 11.92 seconds, she finished just behind China’s Zhang Qian, in what was one of the evening’s most closely watched races. Her performance not only demonstrated raw speed but also Sri Lanka’s growing potential in sprint events on the Asian stage.

🥉 Meanwhile, in the Boys’ 1500m final, Lahiru Achintha displayed excellent race awareness and endurance, finishing in third place with a time of 3:59.47. His tactical approach and strong finish earned Sri Lanka a bronze medal, making him one of the standout middle-distance performers of the day.

🏅 In addition to these podium finishes, Janith Lakshan Jenkins leapt into medal contention in the Men’s U18 Triple Jump, claiming silver with a mark of 15.10 meters, just behind China’s Dong Zhiyuan.

Though only three athletes officially medaled on Day 3, performances across the board showed promise, heart, and competitive spirit — vital traits for building a strong future in athletics.

Stay tuned as Team Sri Lanka continues to compete and inspire at this prestigious youth championship.

🟡 Sri Lanka’s Medal Count – Day 3
🥈 Sewmini Fernando – Girls’ 100m
🥈 Janith Lakshan Jenkins – Boys’ Triple Jump
🥉 Lahiru Achintha – Boys’ 1500m

#SriLankaAthletics #AsianU18 #SewminiFernando #LakshanJenkins #LahiruAchintha #SriLankanYouth #Dammam2025 #TrackAndField #SriLankanSportsTV #PrideOfTheNation

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News

Sri Lanka Names 25-Man Squad for Crucial Rugby Clash Against Malaysia

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Sri Lanka Rugby has officially received the Sports Minister’s approval for a 25-member national squad, led by seasoned campaigner Nigel Ratwatte, ahead of the high-stakes playoff match against Malaysia. The game will determine qualification for the Asia Rugby Top 4 Championship, a key milestone in Sri Lanka’s bid for a spot at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The match, scheduled for April 19, is expected to be a fierce contest as the Tuskers aim to re-establish themselves among Asia’s rugby elite. A win would secure home games against South Korea and UAE, with the away fixture coming against Hong Kong.

The squad features a mix of experienced players and promising young talent, showing the depth of Sri Lanka’s rugby potential. Backline firepower includes Danushka Ranjan, Akash Madhushanka, and Janidu Dilshan, while the forward pack boasts names like Janidu Fernando, Pulasthi Dissanayake, and Lasindu Karunathilake.

Approved Squad for Malaysia Match

Forwards:

  1. Janidu Fernando
  2. Pulasthi Dissanayake
  3. Senura Perera
  4. Naveen Marasinghe
  5. Thilina Bandara
  6. Nizran Nillar
  7. Tharindu Chathuranga
  8. Lasindu Karunathilake

Backs:

  1. Heshan Jansen
  2. Nigel Ratwatte (Captain)
  3. Janidu Dilshan
  4. Akash Madhushanka
  5. Danushka Ranjan
  6. Dinal Ekanayake
  7. Mursheed Zubair

Finishers (Replacements):

  1. Vimukthi Gamage
  2. Nirosh Perera
  3. Mohamed Rifan
  4. Thenuka Nanayakkara
  5. Pasindu Bandara
  6. Thanuja Jayaweera
  7. Dahan Wickramarachchi
  8. Venura Kodagoda

Standby:

  1. Malitha Wijesundara
  2. Hirantha Perera

Team Management & Support Staff

  • Chef De Mission: Udaya Hettiarachchi
  • Team Manager: Rohan Chinthaka
  • Head Coach: Sanath Martis
  • Forwards Coach: Dushanth Lewke
  • Backs Coach: Saliya Kumara
  • Strength & Conditioning Coach: Tharaka Algama
  • Team Doctor: Dr. Pradeep Kiriella
  • Physiotherapist: Shafin Majeed
  • Masseurs: Manoj Silva, Sanka Dilshan de Silva, L. P. P. Sameera

With preparations intensifying, the squad is in full training mode under the guidance of Sanath Martis and his coaching unit. The players are eyeing a return to the continental spotlight, and the nation will be rallying behind the boys in maroon as they take on Malaysia in this do-or-die battle.

Stay tuned to Sri Lankan Sports TV for full match coverage and updates.

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