News
The India tour is a good preparation for ODI World Cup – Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka, the captain of the Sri Lankan team, said that this tournament is a good rehearsal as India is the host country of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The Sri Lankan team wants to give a good challenging series against India after a T20 World Cup where they won only two matches in the main round. They will play three T20Is and a number of ODIs on this tour, and with India being the host country for the ODI World Cup later this year, getting used to the pitches and playing well will help them immensely in the ODI World Cup.
“We haven’t had a good [T20] World Cup, so we have to move on,” Shanaka said in Mumbai ahead of the opening T20I. “We hope to do well in this series.
“India is a good team. All we have to do is play good cricket. Being in the World Cup year, these T20 and ODI tournaments are very important because many boys have not played in India. It is the first opportunity for many young players to play international cricket. , it’s an opportunity to learn about field conditions. So this tournament will be very important.”
ඉන්දීය සංචාරය අපිට එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයට හොද පෙර හුරුවක් – දසුන් ශානක
2023 එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයේ සත්කාරකත්වය දරන රට ඉන්දියාව වීම නිසා මෙම තරගාවලිය හොද පෙරහුරුවක් බව ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමේ නායක දසුන් ශානක පැවසීය.
ශ්රී ලංකා කණ්ඩායමට අවශ්ය වී ඇත්තේ ප්රධාන වටයේ තරග දෙකක් පමණක් ජයග්රහණය කළ විස්සයි20 ලෝක කුසලාන තරගාවලියකින් පසුව ඉන්දියාවට එරෙහිව හොද අභියෝගාත්මක තරගාවලියක් ලබා දීමයි. ඔවුන් මෙම සංචාරයේදී T20I තරඟ තුනක් සහ ODI තරඟ ගණනාවක් ක්රීඩා කරන අතර, මෙම වසර අගදී ODI ලෝක කුසලානය සඳහා සත්කාරක රට ඉන්දියාව වීම, තණතිරු වලට හුරුපුරුදු වීම සහ හොඳින් ක්රීඩා කිරීම ඔවුන්ට විශාල වශයෙන් එක්දින ලෝක කුසලානයට උපකාරී වනු ඇත.
“අපිට හොඳ [විස්සයි20] ලෝක කුසලානයක් තිබුණේ නැහැ, ඒ නිසා අපි ඉදිරියට යා යුතුයි,” ශානක ආරම්භක විස්සයි20 තරගයට පෙර මුම්බායිහිදී පැවසීය. “අපි මේ තරගමාලාව හොඳින් කරන්න බලාපොරොත්තු වෙනවා.
“ඉන්දියාව කියන්නේ හොඳ කණ්ඩායමක්. අපි කරන්න ඕනේ හොඳ ක්රිකට් ක්රීඩා කරන එක. ලෝක කුසලාන අවුරුද්දේ පැවැත්වෙනව, මේ T20 සහ ODI තරඟාවලිය ගොඩක් වැදගත්, මොකද ගොඩක් කොල්ලෝ ඉන්දියාවේ ක්රීඩා කරලා නැහැ. බොහෝ තරුණ ක්රීඩකයින්ට ජාත්යන්තර ක්රිකට් පිටියේ ක්රීඩා කිරීමට ඇති පළමු අවස්ථාව එය වන අතර, එය ක්රීඩා පිටියේ තත්ත්වයන් පිළිබඳව ඉගෙන ගැනීමට අවස්ථාවකි. එබැවින් මෙම තරඟාවලිය ඉතා වැදගත් වනු ඇත.”
ஒருநாள் உலகக் கோப்பைக்கு இந்திய சுற்றுப்பயணம் ஒரு நல்ல பயிற்சி – தசுன் ஷனகா
2023 ஆம் ஆண்டு ஒருநாள் உலகக் கிண்ணத்தை நடத்தும் நாடாக இந்தியா இருப்பதால், இந்த போட்டி ஒரு நல்ல ஒத்திகை என இலங்கை அணியின் தலைவர் தசுன் ஷனக தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.
டி20 உலகக் கோப்பையின் பிரதான சுற்றில் இரண்டு போட்டிகளில் மட்டுமே வெற்றி பெற்ற பிறகு, இந்தியாவுக்கு எதிராக ஒரு நல்ல சவாலான தொடரை வழங்க இலங்கை அணி விரும்புகிறது. இந்த சுற்றுப்பயணத்தில் அவர்கள் மூன்று T20I மற்றும் பல ODI களில் விளையாடுவார்கள், மேலும் இந்த ஆண்டின் இறுதியில் ODI உலகக் கோப்பைக்கான ஹோஸ்ட் நாடாக இந்தியா இருப்பதால், ஆடுகளங்களுடன் பழகி நன்றாக விளையாடுவது ODI உலகக் கோப்பையில் அவர்களுக்கு பெரிதும் உதவும்.
“நாங்கள் ஒரு நல்ல [டி20] உலகக் கோப்பையைப் பெறவில்லை, எனவே நாங்கள் முன்னேற வேண்டும்” என்று ஷனகா மும்பையில் தொடக்க டி20ஐக்கு முன்னதாக கூறினார். “இந்த தொடரில் நாங்கள் சிறப்பாக செயல்படுவோம் என்று நம்புகிறோம்.
“இந்தியா ஒரு நல்ல அணி. நாம் செய்ய வேண்டியது எல்லாம் நல்ல கிரிக்கெட்டை விளையாடுவதுதான். உலகக் கோப்பை ஆண்டாக இருப்பதால், இந்த டி20 மற்றும் ஒருநாள் போட்டி மிகவும் முக்கியமானது, ஏனெனில் பல சிறுவர்கள் இந்தியாவில் விளையாடவில்லை. பல இளம் வீரர்களுக்கு இது முதல் வாய்ப்பு. சர்வதேச கிரிக்கெட்டில் விளையாட, கள நிலவரங்களை அறிய இது ஒரு வாய்ப்பு. எனவே இந்த போட்டி மிகவும் முக்கியமானதாக இருக்கும்.”
Cricket
KSCA Officials Resign Over Chinnaswamy Stampede; RCB Faces FIR in Tragic Victory Celebration Fallout
In a tragic turn of events following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) historic IPL 2025 title win, a deadly stampede at the celebratory event held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives and injured several others. The aftermath has sparked controversy and accountability issues, leading to major resignations and legal action.
Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam resigned on Friday, citing “moral responsibility” for the incident. Their resignations were submitted to KSCA president Raghuram Bhat, as questions mount over mismanagement and negligence at the overcrowded venue.
The Bengaluru Police have filed an FIR listing RCB, DNA Entertainment (event partner), and KSCA as accused parties. Police confirmed that the event had not been granted official permission. In a swift move, Nikhil Sosale, RCB’s head of marketing and revenue, was arrested—raising further scrutiny over organizational lapses.
KSCA has filed a writ petition calling the FIR a “knee-jerk” reaction under political pressure. They argued that crowd control and gate management were the responsibilities of RCB and the event organizers, not KSCA.
RCB has announced INR 10 lakh compensation for each victim and committed to covering all medical expenses of the injured. However, the franchise has yet to make a comprehensive public statement.
This incident raises serious concerns about sports event management and safety standards, casting a shadow over what was supposed to be a moment of celebration in Indian cricket
Football
Asia Leads the Charge as 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers Begin to Take Shape
The road to the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup is gaining momentum, and Asia is already making its mark on football’s grandest stage. With an expanded format featuring 48 teams and co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, this edition promises to be the most inclusive and diverse yet — and Asia is stepping up early.
🇯🇵 Japan Sets the Benchmark for Asia
Japan was the first nation worldwide to book their ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underscoring their dominance in Asian football. Unbeaten in their qualifying campaign with six wins and one draw, the Samurai Blue continue to be the standard-bearers for the continent.
🇮🇷 Iran Continues Consistent Form
Iran soon followed Japan, securing their seventh overall World Cup appearance and fourth consecutive berth. The team remained undefeated in their group, showcasing the experience and tactical depth that has made them a fixture on the world stage.
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan Makes Historic Debut
In one of the most emotional stories of the qualifiers so far, Uzbekistan qualified for their first-ever FIFA World Cup. A gritty 0-0 draw against the UAE was enough for the Central Asian side to clinch a spot, sparking nationwide celebrations. Their rise highlights the growing strength of second-tier Asian nations on the global stage.
Asia’s Presence Grows in 2026 Format
Asia is guaranteed eight slots in the 2026 World Cup — a significant jump from previous editions — allowing the region to showcase more talent, depth, and emerging football powerhouses. With teams like South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Australia still in the hunt, the continent could make a serious impact come 2026.
Global Context
The tournament’s expanded format and host countries in North America mark a new era for international football. With 104 matches, 16 host cities, and an increased number of participants, it will be a celebration of global diversity — and Asian nations are ready to shine.
Countries Qualified So Far
- Asia: 🇯🇵 Japan, 🇮🇷 Iran, 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
- Oceania: 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- South America: 🇦🇷 Argentina
(Additional qualifiers from other confederations are ongoing.)
As the countdown to 2026 begins, all eyes are on Asia’s rising stars — ready to challenge the world and redefine the future of football.
Cricket
Sachithra Senanayake Indicted in Landmark Match-Fixing Case Under Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Law
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been formally indicted before the Hambantota High Court, marking a historic first in Sri Lanka’s efforts to criminalize corruption in sports. The charges stem from an alleged match-fixing attempt during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL), making Senanayake the first player to face prosecution under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act No. 24 of 2019.
Senanayake, currently out on bail, is accused of attempting to influence Colombo Kings player Tharindu Ratnayake to underperform during the tournament. The incident reportedly occurred via a WhatsApp message, which was later flagged by a local anti-corruption officer, prompting an official investigation in 2020.
The case falls under the landmark legislation introduced in 2019 by then Sports Minister Harin Fernando, which criminalizes match-fixing and related offenses in the country. If convicted, Senanayake could face a prison term of up to 10 years, a fine reaching Rs. 100 million, or both.
The indictment signals a serious shift in Sri Lanka’s approach to tackling corruption in sports. Authorities hope this high-profile case will serve as a strong deterrent against similar offenses in the future.
Senanayake, once a celebrated off-spinner and a member of Sri Lanka’s victorious 2014 ICC T20 World Cup squad, now faces the grim prospect of being remembered not for his achievements on the field, but for his role in one of Sri Lanka’s most significant match-fixing scandals.
As the case unfolds, it casts a spotlight on the broader issue of corruption in sports and reinforces the urgent need for integrity, vigilance, and transparent governance across all levels of competition in Sri Lanka
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