News
Southee equals Malinga’s record
In the second T20 match held yesterday (20), New Zealand player Tim Southee was able to equal a record held by Lasith Maliga of Sri Lanka.
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee took three wickets but New Zealand lost by 55 runs in the 2020 match against India yesterday (20th). It was Tim Southee’s second hat trick and he became the second bowler to take a hat trick in the 2020 internationals.
Earlier, only former Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga had done such a feat. Batting first in the match, India scored 191 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Surya Kumar Yadav, who played superb innings, scored his second international 2020 century and scored 111 not out. In bowling, Tim Southee took 3 wickets for 34 runs and Indian captain Hardik Pandya (13), Deepak Hooda (0) and Washington Sundar (0) were victims of Southee’s three wickets.
සවුති මාලිංගගේ වාර්තාවක් සම කරයි
නවසීලන්ත ක්රීඩක ටිම් සවුති ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ලසිත් මාලිග තබා තිබූ වාර්තාවක් සම කිරීමට ඊයේ(20) පැවති දෙවන විස්සයි 20 තරගයේදී හැකියාව ලැබුණි.
නවසීලන්ත වේග පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක ටිම් සවුති කඩුලු ත්රිත්වයක් ලබා ගත්තද ඉන්දියාවට එරෙහිව ඊයේ (20දා) පැවති පන්දු වාර 20යි 20 තරගයෙන් නවසීලන්තයට ලකුණු 55 ක පරාජයක් අත්විය. ටිම් සවුති ලබා ගත් දෙවැනි කඩුලු ත්රිත්වය එය වූ අතර ඔහු 20යි 20 ජාත්යන්තර පිටියේ දී කඩුලු ත්රිත්වයන් දවා ගත් දෙවැනි පන්දු යවන්නා බවට පත් විය.
මීට පෙර එවැනි දක්ෂතාවයක් දක්වා තිබුණේ ශ්රී ලංකා හිටපු වේග පන්දු යවන ක්රීඩක ලසිත් මාලිංග පමණි. තරගයේ පළමුව පන්දුවට පහර දුන් ඉන්දියාව නියමිත පන්දු වාර 20 තුළදී කඩුලු 6 ක් දැවී ලකුණු 191 ක් ලබා ගත්තේය. සුපිරි ඉනිමක් ක්රීඩා කළ සූර්ය කුමාර් යාදව් සිය දෙවැනි ජාත්යන්තර 20යි 20 ශතකය වාර්තා කරමින් නොදැවී ලකුණු 111 ක් ලබා ගත්තේය. පන්දු යැවීමේ දී ටිම් සවුති ලකුණු 34 කට කඩුලු 3 ක් බිඳ හෙලූ අතර ඉන්දීය නායක හර්දික් පාන්ඩ්යා (13), දීපක් හූඩා ( (0) හා වොෂින්ටන් සුන්දර් (0) යන පිතිකරුවෝ සවුති ගේ කඩුලු ත්රිත්වයේ ගොදුරු විය.
மலிங்காவின் சாதனையை சவுதி சமன் செய்தார்
நேற்று (20) நடைபெற்ற இரண்டாவது டி20 போட்டியில் நியூசிலாந்து வீரர் டிம் சவுத்தி இலங்கையின் லசித் மலிகாவின் சாதனையை சமன் செய்ய முடிந்தது.
நியூசிலாந்து வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் டிம் சவுதி மூன்று விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தினார், ஆனால் 2020 ஆம் ஆண்டு இந்தியாவுக்கு எதிரான நேற்று (20 ஆம் தேதி) நடந்த போட்டியில் நியூசிலாந்து 55 ரன்கள் வித்தியாசத்தில் தோல்வியடைந்தது. இது டிம் சவுத்தியின் இரண்டாவது ஹாட்ரிக் மற்றும் 2020 சர்வதேச போட்டிகளில் ஹாட்ரிக் எடுத்த இரண்டாவது பந்துவீச்சாளர் ஆனார்.
இதற்கு முன், இலங்கையின் முன்னாள் வேகப்பந்து வீச்சாளர் லசித் மலிங்கா மட்டுமே இத்தகைய சாதனையை செய்திருந்தார். இந்தப் போட்டியில் முதலில் பேட் செய்த இந்திய அணி நிர்ணயிக்கப்பட்ட 20 ஓவர்களில் 6 விக்கெட் இழப்புக்கு 191 ரன்கள் எடுத்தது. அபாரமான இன்னிங்ஸை ஆடிய சூர்ய குமார் யாதவ், தனது இரண்டாவது சர்வதேச 2020 சதத்தை அடித்து ஆட்டமிழக்காமல் 111 ரன்கள் எடுத்தார். பந்துவீச்சில் டிம் சௌதி 34 ஓட்டங்களுக்கு 3 விக்கெட்டுகளை வீழ்த்தியதுடன் இந்திய அணித்தலைவர் ஹர்திக் பாண்டியா (13), தீபக் ஹூடா (0), வாஷிங்டன் சுந்தர் (0) ஆகியோர் சௌதியின் 3 விக்கெட்டுகளுக்கு பலியாகினர்.
Football
FFSL’s Suspension of Six Leagues Sparks Outrage Amid Governance Failures
Colombo – The Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) has suspended six regional football leagues, citing administrative and financial irregularities. However, this decision has triggered widespread criticism and raised serious questions about the federation’s own accountability and governance standards.
The suspended leagues are Embilipitiya, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalkuda, Madhu Manthai West, and Point Pedro, with the FFSL alleging that they failed to submit annual reports, maintain financial accounts, or conduct football activities for over three years.
While FFSL claims these actions were taken to uphold its constitution, critics argue that FFSL itself has consistently failed to meet national governance standards, particularly those outlined in Sri Lanka’s Sports Act.
FFSL’s Own Compliance Under Fire
According to Section 32 of the Sports Act, national sports bodies like FFSL are legally required to submit their audited financial reports for the previous year on or before May 31st each year. However, the FFSL has reportedly failed to comply with this for multiple consecutive years — from 2022 to 2024 — placing it in clear violation of national law.
This failure gives the Ministry of Sports the legal authority to suspend FFSL’s registration, raising the possibility of a broader administrative intervention if reforms are not undertaken.
Lack of Support for Grassroots Development
Furthermore, FFSL’s lack of consistent funding and tournament organization for regional leagues has hampered football development:
- 2021: LKR 250,000 per league
- 2022: LKR 100,000
- 2023 & 2024: No funding
- 2025: Limited support to select leagues for a yet-to-be-played Y19 Youth League
Despite this, FFSL is now penalizing regional leagues for being inactive — an inactivity that many argue is the direct result of the federation’s own inaction and neglect.
Legal and Ethical Concerns
The suspension of Jaffna Football League, which is currently under judicial review, has also raised eyebrows. With a court case pending, legal experts question how FFSL can justify suspending a league under such circumstances without violating due process.
Hypocrisy in Action?
Despite citing “no financial reports” as a reason for suspension, FFSL has not published its own audited reports for three straight years. Observers call this an act of institutional hypocrisy, and many stakeholders are calling for the federation to hold itself to the same standards it demands of others.
If Sri Lanka is to progress in regional and international football, governance reform must begin at the top — starting with FFSL’s transparency, accountability, and genuine grassroots development efforts.

News
Strengthening Ties Through Sport: China Donates Five Dragon Boats to Sri Lanka
The People’s Republic of China has donated five dragon boats worth LKR 5 million to Sri Lanka, marking a significant step in promoting water sports across the island.

The donation was made during the China-Sri Lanka Friendship Dragon Boat Championship, organized by NACKSL – the National Association of Canoeing and Kayaking Sri Lanka, held on May 31 at the Diyawanna Rowing Center. The championship saw the participation of 25 teams from various regions of the country.
The event was graced by:
- Minister of Youth and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamagedara
- Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs Eranga Gunasekara
- Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong
Trophies and certificates were awarded to the winning athletes, and the official handover of the dragon boats was completed at the same event.
A Symbol of Friendship and Cultural Exchange
Minister Gamagedara emphasized that the China-Sri Lanka Dragon Boat Championship, and the donation of dragon boats, symbolize the strong cultural, sporting, and diplomatic ties between the two nations. He extended his gratitude to the Chinese Embassy and stated that this generous gift would be instrumental in expanding and developing water sports across Sri Lanka.
“From North to South and East to West, we are committed to promoting water sports across the country,” said the Minister.
He further noted that this donation would help create pathways for Sri Lankan youth in canoeing, kayaking, and dragon boat racing, while also boosting sports tourism.
Celebrating Unity and National Inclusion
Special appreciation was extended to student participants from schools in Jaffna, highlighting the championship’s role in fostering national unity and showcasing the talent and commitment of young athletes from all regions.
The Deputy Minister also expressed hope that more youth with exceptional talent in water sports would be provided with sports scholarships in the future.
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Cricket
Kusal Mendis Falls Short in High-Stakes IPL Eliminator Clash
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis failed to rise to the occasion during a crucial IPL 2025 Eliminator as Gujarat Titans fell short in their chase against Mumbai Indians at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium in New Chandigarh.
Chasing a steep target of 229, Gujarat Titans needed early momentum. While opener Sai Sudharsan led the charge with a composed 80 off 49 deliveries, Kusal Mendis—expected to play a key supporting role—could not live up to expectations on this competitive stage.
Mendis, who had the platform to make an impact, started aggressively with two sixes in his 10-ball 20 but threw away his wicket in an uncharacteristic manner—getting out hit wicket to Mitchell Santner. In a high-pressure match where composure was vital, Mendis’s dismissal was a major setback for GT, stalling their momentum during a promising phase of the innings.
This was an opportunity for Mendis to demonstrate consistency and reliability at the highest level of franchise cricket, especially with the eyes of selectors and fans fixed on performances under pressure. However, the lack of game awareness and a reckless approach led to a soft exit at a crucial moment.
GT eventually managed 208/6, falling short by 20 runs. With Mendis’s early exit, the middle order was left exposed to the mounting run rate, and despite brief resistance from Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia, the chase fizzled out.
While Mendis has shown flashes of brilliance in previous matches, this performance serves as a reminder of the demands of knockout-stage cricket. With playoffs being the toughest test of mental and technical strength, Sri Lanka’s white-ball star must tighten his game to deliver when it matters most.
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