Kumar Sangakkara Joins Sri Lanka Cricket After Government-Forced Revamp

Kumar Sangakkara joins SLC [Source: AFP]

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been appointed to run Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) going ahead. Earlier this week, the board underwent some major changes after facing increasing pressure from the Sri Lanka government.

Shammi Silva, who served as SLC president up until recently, tendered his resignation to make way for a new structure within the board.

It is worth noting that Sangakkara is now a part of a nine-member committee in the SLC, which also includes fellow former cricketers like Roshan Mahanama and Sidath Wettimuny. However, a majority of the committee’s members hail from corporate, legal and political spheres.

New SLC committee assembled after T20 World Cup disaster

Previous office bearers of the SLC have been either ousted by the Sri Lanka government or they tendered their resignations from their respective posts.

As part of a major overhaul, former captain and all-time great Kumar Sangakkara has now been appointed as one of the nine Transformation Committee members to run Sri Lanka Cricket. Among all members in the newly-formed committee, Sangakkara is the most high-profile individual with direct cricketing background.

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Fellow former cricketer and veteran referee Roshan Mahanama, as well as ex-opening batter Sidath Wettimuny are the only other members who have previously played cricket for Sri Lanka.

Eran Wickramaratne, who is also a former Member of the Sri Lankan Parliament, has been appointed as SLC Chairman. While Wickramaratne hails from a political background, he is also a corporate figure in Sri Lanka. Here is a look at the entire nine-member SLC committee:

Eran Wickramaratne (politics/corporate), Roshan Mahanama (cricket/corporate), Kumar Sangakkara (cricket/business), Sidath Wettimuny (cricket/corporate), Prakash Schaffter (corporate/cricket), Avanthi Colombage (corporate), Thushira Radella (corporate), Upul Kumarapperuma (law/politics) and Dinal Phillips (law)

After getting appointed as SLC chairman, Eran Wickramaratne said “I am privileged to lead a nine-member committee of individuals with impeccable integrity and expertise.”

He further stated that one of the primary objectives of the new SLC committee is to ensure a “total overhaul of the governance framework” within the board.

Compatible to Wickramaratne’s remarks, the SLC has been previously criticised for granting “too much power” to non-performing cricket bodies. With the presence of two lawyers in the newly-formed committee, Dinal Phillips and Upul Kumarapperuma, the new chairman has suggested that the committee will be drafting a new constitution.

New SLC to focus on strengthening Sri Lanka cricket teams

Wickramaratne also added that their second focus will be to ensure “excellence on the field”. He said that the board will be establishing new structures and world class facilities as well as come up with incentive models to “empower” the Sri Lanka national teams.

Interestingly, the Sri Lanka men’s cricket team only recently failed to make it to the semifinals of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at home.

What’s next for Sri Lanka Cricket?

After failing to reach the semifinal of the 2026 T20 World Cup at home, the Sri Lanka cricket team is now scheduled to travel to West Indies for an all-format series.

Struggling to yield positive results, Sri Lanka will hope that the presence of Kumar Sangakkara in the newly-formed leadership group steers the national setup towards sustained success on and off the field.

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