Bandarawela Central’s Poorva wins 10

Poorva Ranasinghe

By Susil Premalal

Young badminton player Poorva Ranasinghe of Bandarawela Central College delivered an outstanding performance at the MBA All-Island Open Badminton Championship 2026 by emerging champion in the Boys’ Under-15 Singles category.

Poorva produced a remarkable unbeaten run throughout the tournament and capped his campaign with a straight-set victory over current National Under-15 No.1 player Yesath Jayasuriya in the final. He secured the title with scores of 21-15 and 21-16.

On his way to the championship, Poorva received a bye in the Round of 256 and maintained an unblemished record in the Level I National Ranking Tournament conducted by the Mercantile Badminton Association (MBA). In the semi-final, he defeated Anuka Kadahettige in straight sets 21-14 and 21-19 to book his place in the final.

Poorva also competed in the Boys’ Under-15 Doubles event alongside fellow Bandarawela player Kaveeshwara Hirushan Jayawardana. The pair advanced to the quarter-finals before losing a closely contested encounter against Hiruth Fernando and Navithu Kumarapperuma.

Overall, Poorva completed the championship with an impressive tally of 10 victories in 11 matches. He won all seven matches in the Boys’ Under-15 Singles event to claim the title, while also recording three wins out of four matches in the doubles category.