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Top Cricketers Set Sights on LPL 2023

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The Lanka Premier League (LPL) is back and better than ever with its upcoming 4th edition set to take place from 30 July to 20 August. This year, the matches will be played both in Colombo and Kandy and will feature five teams: Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Aura, Lyca Jaffna Kings, Colombo Strikers and Kandy Falcons – with each team including 6 international players. Player Registrations will open on 15 May, for both local and international players, with the Live Player Draft scheduled for 4 June.

One of the most exciting aspects of the LPL is the calibre of players it attracts from all around the world. This year, some of the biggest names in cricket will be participating, including West Indies stars Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard, as well as Shakib Al Hassan, one of Bangladesh’s greatest all-rounders.

But that is not all! The LPL has also announced a number of foreign players who have been registered for the upcoming players’ draft. Players from Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ireland, New Zealand, and Namibia will all vie for a chance to participate in the tournament. Some of the star players include Matthew Wade, Shaun Marsh, D’Arcy Short, Usman Khawaja, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Muhammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Paul Stirling, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Doug Bracewell, and Gerhard Erasmus.

The teams will play each other twice in the round-robin stage, with the top four teams advancing to the playoffs. The tournament promises to be an action-packed, super-thrilling series with top-quality cricket on display throughout.

Anil Mohan, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based production giant IPG, the official promoter of LPL, expressed his excitement about the games and the quality of players the LPL attracts. “This year’s tournament includes an exciting list of players. I am sure fans can look forward to some scintillating performances from them.”

West Indies stars Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have agreed to participate only in the first part of the LPL tournament due to their commitments to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Players of their fine calibre, and global recognition, willing to make accommodations to participate in the LPL, is a testament to the quality of the tournament and the level of international talent it is capable of attracting.

“The tournament has been scheduled for July and August this year, as it sits well with Sri Lanka’s international calendar. It also gives us the best opportunity to attract top international talent,” said Samantha Dodanwela, Tournament Director of the Lanka Premier League.

The LPL has been a great success since its inception and is enjoyed by fans all over the world. It is an exceptional platform for young Sri Lankan talent to showcase their skills and compete against some of the best players in the world. With the match dates set to be announced during the first week of May, fans all around the world can now plan their schedules and witness the excitement of the Lanka Premier League.

“We are excited to be hosting the tournament once again and can’t wait to see what this year’s edition has in store. With the talent level on display, we are confident that the tournament will be a huge success,” added Dodanwela.

So, cricket fans, mark your calendars and get ready for the LPL, a tournament that promises to be full of excitement and action. The fourth edition of the LPL is set to take Sri Lankan cricket to new heights, with anticipation growing amongst fans in Sri Lanka and across the world.

ඉහළම ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩකයින් LPL 2023 මත ස්ථාන සකසයි

Lanka Premier League (LPL) එහි ඉදිරි 4 වන සංස්කරණය ජුලි 30 සිට අගෝස්තු 20 දක්වා පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතව ඇති අතර වෙන කවරදාටත් වඩා හොඳ තත්වයකට පැමිණ ඇත. මෙම වසරේ කොළඹ සහ මහනුවර යන නගර දෙකේදීම තරග පැවැත්වෙන අතර Galle Gladiators, Dambulla Aura, Lyca Jaffna Kings, Colombo Strikers සහ Kandy Falcons යන කණ්ඩායම් පහ බැගින් තරග වදින අතර එක් කණ්ඩායමකට ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රීඩකයින් 6 දෙනෙකු ඇතුළත් වේ. සජීවී ක්‍රීඩක කෙටුම්පත ජුනි 4 ට සැලසුම් කර ඇති අතර දේශීය සහ ජාත්‍යන්තර ක්‍රීඩකයින් සඳහා ක්‍රීඩකයින් ලියාපදිංචි කිරීම මැයි 15 දින විවෘත වේ.

LPL හි වඩාත් ආකර්ෂණීය අංගයක් වන්නේ එය ලොව පුරා සිටින ක්‍රීඩකයින් ආකර්ෂණය කර ගැනීමයි. බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව් තරු වන ඩ්වේන් බ්‍රාවෝ සහ කීරන් පොලාඩ් මෙන්ම බංග්ලාදේශයේ විශිෂ්ඨතම තුන් ඉරියව් ක්‍රීඩකයෙකු වන ෂකීබ් අල් හසන් ද ඇතුළුව ක්‍රිකට් ක්‍රීඩාවේ දැවැන්තයින් කිහිප දෙනෙකු මෙම වසරේ සහභාගී වනු ඇත.

නමුත් එය සියල්ලම නොවේ! ඉදිරි ක්‍රීඩකයින්ගේ කෙටුම්පත සඳහා ලියාපදිංචි වී ඇති විදේශීය ක්‍රීඩකයින් ගණනාවක් ද LPL විසින් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කර ඇත. ඕස්ට්‍රේලියාව, දකුණු අප්‍රිකාව, පකිස්ථානය, බංග්ලාදේශය, අයර්ලන්තය, නවසීලන්තය සහ නැමීබියාව යන රටවල ක්‍රීඩකයින් තරඟාවලියට සහභාගී වීමේ අවස්ථාව සඳහා තරඟ වදිනු ඇත. සමහර තරු ක්‍රීඩකයින් අතර මැතිව් වේඩ්, ෂෝන් මාෂ්, ඩී ආර්සි ෂෝට්, උස්මාන් ඛවාජා, ලුංගි න්ගිඩි, ඉම්රාන් තහීර්, තබ්‍රයිස් ෂම්සි, මුහම්මද් නවාස්, නසීම් ෂා, වහබ් රියාස්, ලිටන් දාස්, අෆිෆ් හොසේන්, පෝල් ස්ටර්ලින්, මිචෙල් සැන්ට්නර් ඇතුළත් වේ. Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Doug Bracewell සහ Gerhard Erasmus.

කණ්ඩායම් රවුන්ඩ් රොබින් අදියරේදී එකිනෙකා සමඟ දෙවරක් ක්‍රීඩා කරනු ඇති අතර හොඳම කණ්ඩායම් හතර ප්ලේ-ඕෆ් වටයට පිවිසේ. මෙම තරඟාවලිය ක්‍රියාදාමයෙන් පිරුණු, සුපිරි-ත්‍රාසජනක තරඟාවලියක් බවට පොරොන්දු වන අතර, එය පුරාවටම ප්‍රදර්ශනය කෙරෙන ඉහලම ගුණාත්මක ක්‍රිකට් සමඟිනි.

LPL හි නිල ප්‍රවර්ධකයා වන ඩුබායි හි නිෂ්පාදන දැවැන්තයා වන IPG හි නිර්මාතෘ සහ ප්‍රධාන විධායක නිලධාරී අනිල් මොහාන්, LPL ආකර්ෂණය කරන ක්‍රීඩකයින්ගේ ක්‍රීඩා සහ ගුණාත්මකභාවය පිළිබඳව සිය සතුට පළ කළේය. “මෙවර තරගාවලියට උද්යෝගිමත් ක්‍රීඩකයන්ගේ ලැයිස්තුවක් ඇතුළත්. රසික රසිකාවියන් ඔවුන්ගේ සිත් ඇදගන්නාසුළු රංගනයන් බලාපොරොත්තු විය හැකි බව මට විශ්වාසයි.

බටහිර ඉන්දීය කොදෙව් ක්‍රීඩකයින් වන ඩ්වේන් බ්‍රාවෝ සහ කීරන් පොලාඩ් කැරිබියන් ප්‍රිමියර් ලීග් (සීපීඑල්) සඳහා ඔවුන්ගේ කැපවීම හේතුවෙන් LPL තරඟාවලියේ පළමු කොටස සඳහා පමණක් සහභාගී වීමට එකඟ වී ඇත. LPL තරඟාවලියට සහභාගී වීමට අවශ්‍ය පහසුකම් සපයා ගැනීමට කැමැත්තෙන් සිටින ක්‍රීඩකයින් ඔවුන්ගේ දක්ෂතා සහ ගෝලීය පිළිගැනීම, තරඟාවලියේ ගුණාත්මක භාවය සහ එය ආකර්ෂණය කර ගත හැකි ජාත්‍යන්තර දක්ෂතා මට්ටම පිලිබඳ සාක්ෂියකි.

“මෙම තරඟාවලිය මෙම වසරේ ජූලි සහ අගෝස්තු මාසවලදී පැවැත්වීමට නියමිතව ඇත්තේ එය ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ ජාත්‍යන්තර දින දර්ශනයට හොඳින් ගැලපෙන බැවිනි. ඒ වගේම ජාත්‍යන්තරයේ ඉහළම දක්ෂතා ආකර්ශනය කර ගැනීමට අපට හොඳම අවස්ථාව ලැබෙනවා” යැයි ලංකා ප්‍රිමියර් ලීග් තරඟාවලියේ අධ්‍යක්ෂ සමන්ත දොඩන්වෙල මහතා පැවසීය.

LPL ආරම්භයේ සිටම විශාල සාර්ථකත්වයක් ලබා ඇති අතර ලොව පුරා රසිකයින් විසින් එය භුක්ති විඳිති. එය ශ්‍රී ලාංකීය තරුණ දක්ෂයින්ට ඔවුන්ගේ දස්කම් පෙන්වීමට සහ ලොව හොඳම ක්‍රීඩකයින් කිහිප දෙනෙකුට එරෙහිව තරඟ කිරීමට සුවිශේෂී වේදිකාවකි. මැයි මුල් සතියේ තරග දිනයන් ප්‍රකාශයට පත් කිරීමට නියමිතව ඇති හෙයින්, ලොව පුරා සිටින ක්‍රීඩා ලෝලීන්ට දැන් ඔවුන්ගේ කාලසටහන් සැලසුම් කර ලංකා ප්‍රිමියර් ලීගයේ උද්යෝගය දැක බලා ගත හැකිය.

“අපි නැවත වරක් තරඟාවලියට සත්කාරකත්වය දැක්වීමට සතුටු වන අතර මෙවර සංස්කරණයේ ගබඩා කර ඇති දේ බැලීමට බලා සිටිය නොහැක. දක්‍ෂතා මට්ටම ප්‍රදර්ශනය වීමත් සමඟ තරගාවලිය අති සාර්ථක වනු ඇතැයි අපට විශ්වාසයි” දොඩන්වෙල මහතා වැඩිදුරටත් පැවසීය.

ඉතින්, ක්‍රිකට් ලෝලීන්, ඔබේ දින දර්ශන සලකුණු කර LPL තරඟාවලිය සඳහා සූදානම් වන්න, එය උද්දීපනයෙන් සහ ක්‍රියාවෙන් පිරී පවතින බවට පොරොන්දු වේ. එල්.පී.එල්. හි සිව්වන සංස්කරණය ශ්රී ලංකාවේ සහ ලොව පුරා රසිකයන් අතර අපේක්ෂාවක් වර්ධනය වීමත් සමඟ ශ්රී ලංකා ක්රිකට් නව උසකට ගෙන යාමට සූදානම් වේ.

LPL 2023 இல் விளையாடும் சிறந்த கிரிக்கெட் வீரர்கள்

லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக் (LPL) அதன் வரவிருக்கும் 4 வது பதிப்பு ஜூலை 30 முதல் ஆகஸ்ட் 20 வரை நடைபெறவுள்ள நிலையில் முன்னெப்போதையும் விட சிறப்பாக உள்ளது. இந்த ஆண்டு, போட்டிகள் கொழும்பு மற்றும் கண்டி ஆகிய இரண்டு இடங்களிலும் விளையாடப்படும், மேலும் ஐந்து அணிகள் பங்கேற்கின்றன: காலி கிளாடியேட்டர்ஸ், தம்புள்ளை ஆரா, லைக்கா யாழ் கிங்ஸ், கொழும்பு ஸ்ட்ரைக்கர்ஸ் மற்றும் கண்டி ஃபால்கன்ஸ் – ஒவ்வொரு அணியும் 6 சர்வதேச வீரர்கள் உட்பட. லைவ் பிளேயர் டிராஃப்ட் ஜூன் 4 ஆம் தேதி திட்டமிடப்பட்டு உள்ளூர் மற்றும் சர்வதேச வீரர்களுக்கு மே 15 அன்று பிளேயர் பதிவுகள் திறக்கப்படும்.

எல்பிஎல்லின் மிகவும் உற்சாகமான அம்சங்களில் ஒன்று, அது உலகம் முழுவதிலுமிருந்து ஈர்க்கும் வீரர்களின் திறன் ஆகும். இந்த ஆண்டு, வெஸ்ட் இண்டீஸ் நட்சத்திரங்களான டுவைன் பிராவோ மற்றும் கெய்ரோன் பொல்லார்ட் மற்றும் பங்களாதேஷின் சிறந்த ஆல்ரவுண்டர்களில் ஒருவரான ஷாகிப் அல் ஹாசன் உட்பட கிரிக்கெட்டில் மிகப் பெரிய பெயர்கள் சிலர் பங்கேற்க உள்ளனர்.

ஆனால் அது எல்லாம் இல்லை! வரவிருக்கும் வீரர்களின் வரைவுக்கு பதிவுசெய்யப்பட்ட பல வெளிநாட்டு வீரர்களையும் LPL அறிவித்துள்ளது. ஆஸ்திரேலியா, தென்னாப்பிரிக்கா, பாகிஸ்தான், பங்களாதேஷ், அயர்லாந்து, நியூசிலாந்து மற்றும் நமீபியா ஆகிய நாடுகளைச் சேர்ந்த வீரர்கள் அனைவரும் போட்டியில் பங்கேற்கும் வாய்ப்பைப் பெறுவார்கள். நட்சத்திர வீரர்களில் மேத்யூ வேட், ஷான் மார்ஷ், டி’ஆர்சி ஷார்ட், உஸ்மான் கவாஜா, லுங்கி என்கிடி, இம்ரான் தாஹிர், தப்ரைஸ் ஷம்சி, முஹம்மது நவாஸ், நசீம் ஷா, வஹாப் ரியாஸ், லிட்டன் தாஸ், அஃபிஃப் ஹொசைன், பால் ஸ்டிர்லிங், மிட்செல் சான்ட்னர் ஆகியோர் அடங்குவர். இஷ் சோதி, டிம் சீஃபர்ட், டேரில் மிட்செல், டக் பிரேஸ்வெல் மற்றும் கெர்ஹார்ட் எராஸ்மஸ்.

ரவுண்ட்-ராபின் கட்டத்தில் அணிகள் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் இரண்டு முறை விளையாடும், முதல் நான்கு அணிகள் பிளேஆஃப்களுக்கு முன்னேறும். இந்த போட்டியானது ஒரு அதிரடி நிரம்பிய, சூப்பர் த்ரில்லான தொடராக இருக்கும் என்று உறுதியளிக்கிறது, மேலும் சிறந்த தரமான கிரிக்கெட் முழுவதும் காட்சிப்படுத்தப்படும்.

துபாயை தளமாகக் கொண்ட தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனமான IPG இன் நிறுவனர் மற்றும் CEO, LPL இன் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ விளம்பரதாரர், விளையாட்டுகள் மற்றும் LPL ஈர்க்கும் வீரர்களின் தரம் குறித்து தனது உற்சாகத்தை வெளிப்படுத்தினார். “இந்த ஆண்டுக்கான போட்டியில் உற்சாகமான வீரர்களின் பட்டியல் உள்ளது. அவர்களிடமிருந்து சில அட்டகாசமான நடிப்பை ரசிகர்கள் எதிர்நோக்குவார்கள் என்று நான் நம்புகிறேன்.

வெஸ்ட் இண்டீஸ் நட்சத்திரங்களான டுவைன் பிராவோ மற்றும் கெய்ரோன் பொல்லார்ட் ஆகியோர் கரீபியன் பிரீமியர் லீக் (சிபிஎல்)க்கான தங்கள் கடமைகளின் காரணமாக எல்பிஎல் போட்டியின் முதல் பகுதியில் மட்டுமே பங்கேற்க ஒப்புக்கொண்டனர். எல்பிஎல்லில் பங்கேற்பதற்கான தங்குமிடங்களைச் செய்யத் தயாராக இருக்கும் அவர்களின் சிறந்த திறமை மற்றும் உலகளாவிய அங்கீகாரம் கொண்ட வீரர்கள், போட்டியின் தரம் மற்றும் அது ஈர்க்கும் திறன் கொண்ட சர்வதேச திறமைகளின் நிலைக்கு ஒரு சான்றாகும்.

“இலங்கையின் சர்வதேச நாட்காட்டியுடன் நன்றாக அமர்ந்திருப்பதால், இந்த ஆண்டு ஜூலை மற்றும் ஆகஸ்ட் மாதங்களில் போட்டிகள் திட்டமிடப்பட்டுள்ளன. சிறந்த சர்வதேச திறமைகளை ஈர்ப்பதற்கான சிறந்த வாய்ப்பையும் இது வழங்குகிறது” என லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக்கின் போட்டிப் பணிப்பாளர் சமந்த தொடன்வெல தெரிவித்தார்.

எல்பிஎல் அதன் தொடக்கத்தில் இருந்து ஒரு பெரிய வெற்றியை பெற்றுள்ளது மற்றும் உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள ரசிகர்களால் ரசிக்கப்படுகிறது. இலங்கையின் இளம் திறமையாளர்கள் தங்கள் திறமைகளை வெளிப்படுத்தவும், உலகின் சிறந்த வீரர்களுக்கு எதிராக போட்டியிடவும் இது ஒரு விதிவிலக்கான தளமாகும். மே முதல் வாரத்தில் போட்டித் தேதிகள் அறிவிக்கப்படவுள்ள நிலையில், உலகெங்கிலும் உள்ள ரசிகர்கள் இப்போது தங்கள் அட்டவணைகளைத் திட்டமிடலாம் மற்றும் லங்கா பிரீமியர் லீக்கின் உற்சாகத்தைக் காணலாம்.

“மீண்டும் போட்டியை நடத்துவதில் நாங்கள் மகிழ்ச்சியடைகிறோம், மேலும் இந்த ஆண்டு பதிப்பில் என்ன இருக்கிறது என்பதைப் பார்க்க காத்திருக்க முடியாது. திறமை நிலை வெளிப்படும் நிலையில், போட்டிகள் மிகப் பெரிய வெற்றியடையும் என்று நாங்கள் நம்புகிறோம்,” என்று தொடன்வெல மேலும் கூறினார்.

எனவே, கிரிக்கெட் ரசிகர்களே, உங்கள் காலெண்டரைக் குறித்து வைத்து, உற்சாகமும், அதிரடியும் நிறைந்த எல்பிஎல் போட்டிக்கு தயாராகுங்கள். எல்பிஎல்லின் நான்காவது பதிப்பு இலங்கை கிரிக்கெட்டை புதிய உயரத்திற்கு கொண்டு செல்ல உள்ளது, இலங்கை மற்றும் உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள ரசிகர்கள் மத்தியில் எதிர்பார்ப்பு அதிகரித்து வருகிறது.

News

Sirimavo Colours Night Controversy: Achievements, Merit and the Call for Fair Evaluation

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A video shared on social media following the annual Colours Night ceremony at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya has sparked widespread public debate after a student claimed she was unfairly deprived of a sports award despite her outstanding sporting record.

The ceremony, held on December 19, came under scrutiny after the student made a public announcement stating that she did not receive an award allegedly due to her non-attendance at rehearsals, despite her competitive achievements. The video has since gone viral, triggering mixed reactions across social media platforms.

Outstanding Achievements of Both Athletes
The controversy involves two student athletes who have both brought significant honour to the school through exceptional performances in their respective sports.

The Squash Player, V.S. Chanithma Sinaly, has represented Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Asian Championships, and PSA-ranked international tournaments. Her achievements include a Commonwealth Games gold medal, national titles in both junior and women’s open categories, and consistent performances at international professional events — making her one of Sri Lanka’s most accomplished young squash players.

The Swimmer, Nabhasshie Perera, has been a dominant figure at school, national, and age-group level swimming, holding multiple national records in butterfly events. She has represented Sri Lanka at Asian Age Group Championships, World Junior Championships, BIMSTEC competitions, and has secured numerous national and school-level gold medals, underlining her consistency and technical excellence in the pool.

Context Behind the Student Who Missed the Award
According to information that has surfaced following the incident, the student who did not receive the award had missed mandatory rehearsals linked to the Colours Night ceremony, reportedly due to competition schedules and training commitments. While this may have influenced procedural eligibility for the award presentation, it has raised important questions about how discipline-based criteria are applied to elite athletes competing at national and international level.

Observers have noted that while rules and protocols are essential, they must also be flexible and clearly communicated, especially when student athletes are balancing academic responsibilities with elite sporting commitments that extend beyond school boundaries.

Old Girls’ Association Calls for Inquiry
In response to the controversy, the Old Girls’ Association of Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya issued a statement acknowledging that both athletes have significantly contributed to the school’s sporting legacy.

The association confirmed it would request the school administration to conduct a fair, impartial, and transparent inquiry, overseen by a panel of qualified sports experts, to review the award criteria and decision-making process. A report will be released once the inquiry is concluded.

Until then, the Old Girls’ Association has urged all parties to refrain from sharing or circulating content that could negatively affect the students involved or harm the reputation of the school.

As of now, the school administration has yet to issue a separate public response.

A Teachable Moment for School Sports Governance
Beyond the immediate controversy, the incident has opened a wider discussion on how schools recognise sporting excellence, especially when student athletes are performing at international and professional levels. Clear guidelines, transparent communication, and athlete-sensitive policies remain crucial to ensuring fairness and protecting young sportsmen and sportswomen from public disputes.

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Cricket

Virat Kohli Overtakes Sanath Jayasuriya in Player-of-the-Series Awards

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Indian superstar Virat Kohli has overtaken Sri Lankan legend and current national head coach Sanath Jayasuriya in the list of most Player-of-the-Series awards in international cricket.

Kohli now moves to 12 series awards, surpassing Jayasuriya’s long-standing tally of 11, which placed the Sri Lankan great among the top performers in cricket history.

All-Time Most Player-of-the-Series Awards in International Cricket

  • Sachin Tendulkar (India): 15 awards, 108 series, 1989–2012
  • Virat Kohli (India): 12 awards, 76 series, 2008–2025
  • Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka/Asia XI): 11 awards, 111 series, 1989–2011
  • Shaun Pollock (South Africa/Africa XI/ICC): 9 awards, 60 series, 1996–2008
  • Chris Gayle (West Indies/ICC): 8 awards, 71 series, 1999–2019

Despite being surpassed, Jayasuriya’s record — built across an illustrious career from 1989 to 2011 — remains a monumental achievement, highlighting his impact on world cricket as one of the most dominant all-round match-winners of his era.

Kohli’s latest milestone further strengthens his status as one of the modern game’s most consistent performers.

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Football

Sri Lanka Fall 2–1 to Timor-Leste in Final Group Match, Ending AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers Campaign

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Sri Lanka’s AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign came to an unexpected conclusion with a 2–1 defeat to Timor-Leste in their final Group A match in Chongqing. With both teams entering the fixture on three points, the match served as a direct battle for a fourth-place finish in the group. Despite pre-match expectations and form analysis suggesting Sri Lanka held the advantage, Timor-Leste delivered the stronger performance on the day.

Timor-Leste took control early and displayed greater urgency, breaking the deadlock in the 26th minute through Elton Da Conceicao, who capitalised on defensive hesitation to put his side ahead. Sri Lanka struggled to settle into rhythm, often losing second balls and failing to connect effectively in midfield.

The second half saw Timor-Leste continue to dictate play, maintaining higher intensity and pressing Sri Lanka into mistakes. Their persistence was rewarded in the 63rd minute when Jyzeus Gabriel Lay doubled the lead with a composed finish following a break in transition.

Sri Lanka managed to pull one goal back deep into stoppage time, as Ishaq found the net with a well-taken effort, but it was too late to alter the outcome. The result places Sri Lanka fifth in Group A, behind China PR, Bangladesh, Bahrain, and now Timor-Leste.

This outcome contradicts earlier projections that favoured Sri Lanka based on Timor-Leste’s previous results and goal difference. However, football at youth level often hinges on momentum, confidence, and adaptability—areas where Timor-Leste outperformed Sri Lanka on the day.

Sri Lanka conclude their campaign with one win and four losses, scoring six goals and conceding 17. While the tournament exposed defensive vulnerabilities and structural weaknesses, it also offered valuable international experience for a young squad still developing physically and tactically.

The focus now shifts to refining youth systems, improving defensive organisation, and strengthening player development pathways. The qualifiers may not have produced the results Sri Lanka had hoped for, but they provided clarity on the areas that require attention as the nation continues to rebuild at youth level.

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