IPL’s Sri Lankan players and support staff miss watching final

By Bipin Dani

Barring Mahela Jayawardene all Sri Lankan players and support staff (men and women) who participated in Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE missed watching the final.   

“We could not watch the men’s final,” former Sri Lanka women’s team captain Shashikala Siriwardene confirmed. 
“Myself, Chamari Atapattu, Isuru Udana, Muttiah Muralitharan and Mario Villavarayan came in the same Emirates flight on Wednesday early morning,” Siriwardene added. 

Both women players featured in the Women’s T20 Challenge, Isuru played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Muralitharan and Villavarayan were part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad teams as bowling consultant and physical trainer respectively. 
“We were in the night flight at the time when the final was underway (on November 10). There was no flight on 11th and therefore had to leave without watching the final,” she added. 
All of them (and may be Jayawardene, the Mumbai Indians coach, who may have arrived on Wednesday) are on a 14-day quarantine. 

Sharing her experience of playing in the tournament, Siriwardena said, “Our team (Supernovas) had a spark in them because Harman is a very positive, brave and strong character which affects us in a positive way. I really enjoyed being with a great bunch of cricketers.”

“Coach Mamatha Maben was very supportive as well as the manager Trupti Madam and the support staff. So, I would like to thank BCCI for having such a wonderful event under these circumstances. Overall, we are happy that we played some good cricket after being away from cricket for seven to eight months due to this coronavirus pandemic,” she said.