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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
IPL 2025 Points Table Analysis – Power Shift in the Early Stages
By Sri Lankan Sports TV
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season is heating up with some surprising shifts at the top and traditional giants struggling to find form. After the first few rounds, here’s how the standings shape up:
Top of the Table: DC, GT & RCB Lead the Pack
• Delhi Capitals (DC) have made a blazing start to the season, winning all three of their opening matches. With a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +1.257, they’re showing dominance both with the bat and ball.
• Gujarat Titans (GT) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are right behind with 3 wins each from 4 games, boasting strong NRRs of +1.031 and +1.015 respectively. Both teams look solid, although GT’s recent loss may raise concerns about consistency.
Mid-Table Battle: PBKS, KKR, LSG, RR in the Mix
• Punjab Kings (PBKS) have shown good promise with 2 wins in 3 matches, staying competitive with an NRR of +0.074.
• Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are all locked on 4 points. However, their fluctuating form and relatively low NRRs suggest they need to improve quickly to keep pace.
The Struggle Below: MI, CSK, and SRH Falter
• Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are in unfamiliar territory. Each has just one win, with CSK and SRH particularly struggling in the NRR department.
• CSK’s -0.891 NRR reflects a concerning trend in both batting depth and bowling effectiveness, while MI (-0.010) and SRH (-1.629) need urgent tactical reshuffling.
Key Takeaways:
• Unbeaten DC are the team to beat so far.
• RCB’s firepower and GT’s depth keep them in strong contention.
• Traditional powerhouses like CSK and MI must bounce back soon to remain in playoff contention.
• Middle-order teams need consistency to break into the top 4.
With plenty of matches still to be played, the table is likely to see more twists. Keep watching this space for weekly updates!
Cricket
Yupun Abeykoon to Represent Sri Lanka at Two Major International Athletics Championships in 2025
Sri Lanka’s sprint sensation and Birmingham Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Yupun Abeykoon, has confirmed his participation in two key international athletic events this year, following a formal request by Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA).
Abeykoon is set to compete in the 4th South Asian Senior Athletics Championship in Ranchi, India, scheduled for May 3–5, and the 26th Asian Senior Athletics Championship in Gumi, South Korea, from May 27–31. These events will mark his return to international competition after an extended break due to injury.
Abeykoon, who is currently based in Italy, has already secured the required travel documentation to compete in India. The 29-year-old sprinter missed several major meets over the past two years — including the 2022 Asian Games, the 2022 Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok, and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest — due to a lingering foot injury.
Despite his absence from the global stage, he remains the fastest man in South Asia in both the 100m and 200m events and is viewed as a major medal prospect for Sri Lanka in upcoming competitions.
Meanwhile, Asian Games gold medallist Tharushi Karunarathna has opted out of both upcoming championships. Tharushi, who secured the 400m title at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is currently pursuing higher studies in the United States on a sports scholarship. Her focus is now on long-term preparation, with sights set on the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
While she has verbally communicated her unavailability, SLA has requested an official written statement regarding her withdrawal from the two events.
In addition to these regional competitions, Sri Lanka is also gearing up for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, slated for September 13–21, 2025.
With Abeykoon’s return and other emerging talents in the pipeline, Sri Lanka hopes to make a strong impression on the Asian and global athletics circuits in the months ahead.
#YupunAbeykoon #SriLankaAthletics #AsianChampionship2025 #SouthAsianChampionship #TharushiKarunarathna #Olympics2028 #TrackAndField #SriLankanSportsTV
Football
Stafford vs. Colombo International: The Second Edition of the Big Match Kicks Off!
Football fever returns as Stafford International School and Colombo International School gear up for the second edition of their highly anticipated Big Match! This year, the rivalry intensifies with four matches across different age and gender categories:
✅ U15 Girls
✅ U15 Boys
✅ U20 Girls
✅ U20 Boys
🏆 Stafford International’s Rising Stars:
- U15 Girls: Defending TISSL U14 and Colombo SLSFA District champions, featuring standout players like Keshalee Ranatunga and Sonja Ratanayake (just 10 years old!).
- U15 Boys: All-Island U14 runners-up out of 462 schools, led by goalkeeper Yash Amarasekara, who was named Best U14 GK in Sri Lanka.
- U20 Girls & Boys: Both teams finished as TISSL runners-up, boasting stars like Raya Rikaz, Yumna Safraz, Adnaan Ameen, and Nidurshan Mohan.
🏆 Colombo International’s Key Players:
- U15 Girls: TISSL U16 runners-up, featuring top defender Khadeeja Niyas and striker Ozra.
- U20 Girls: TISSL U20 runners-up, with Fioni Dedhia named Goalkeeper of the Tournament.
- U20 Boys: Defending Big Match champions, looking to retain their title behind stars like Krishwen and Habib.
👀 Who will come out on top this time? Watch the action LIVE at the link below! 🎥👇
#BigMatch2025 #SchoolFootball #SriLankaFootball #StaffordVsCIS #RivalryRenewed
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