India’s limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka is all set to turn into a big money churner for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) amid the financial crisis the board has been facing especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Indian cricket team is touring Sri Lanka after a gap of four years to play three T20Is and as many as ODIs and SLC President Shammi Silva revealed that the upcoming white-ball series will earn a record $12 Million in revenue for the board, solving some of their financial worries.
Silva told dailynews.lk: “We had initially finalized to host three matches. But after some negotiations with the Indian Cricket Board, we managed to increase the matches to six which will enable us to raise an additional $6 million in revenue. SLC will be able to provide a large income to the country with Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa’s vision of building a strong economy through Sports.”
The COVID-19 pandemic affected SLC financially like other cricket boards as several tours were either postponed or suspended due to the Coronavirus outbreak across the globe. However, the SLC President insisted that the board didn’t deduct any facility of the players despite the financial crisis.
Silva further explained, “We missed out on several tours as scheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, yet we did not reduce the monthly salaries and allowances of our cricketers.”
He signed off by saying, “None of their facilities were deducted either. In the face of this situation, the cricketers should give out their best display to the country.”
Shikhar Dhawan, who will be leading the team against Sri Lanka starting Tuesday.
(dailynews.lk inputs)
