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The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced the suspension of all domestic cricket matches in the country. The board could be preparing to restructure all national competitions to resolve the controversy surrounding them. The Sri Lankan board started this process back in 2021 when they abandoned the two-tier structure and went with two groups of 13 teams.
The goal was for 26 teams to play three-day matches throughout the season; the last two teams in each group would be eliminated in the first two years and the last three teams in the third year.
According to the system, 15 teams will participate in Sri Lanka's biggest domestic competition, but this has resulted in a reduction in the number of games for relegated teams, which led to more disputes. The board then decided that the four relegated teams from 2022 would be taking part in the Invitational Club Tier B tournament.
However, after this decision, Gesto Sports Club complained and took the issue to Sri Lanka's Court of Appeals, which issued a ruling in August 2023. The appeal by the club was later approved by Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, as he stated that any change in the tournament’s structure could only be made through a change in the SLC’s constitution.
"Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to immediately halt all board-conducted domestic tournaments, this includes the ongoing Major Club 3-Day Tournament and also the Invitational Club Tier 'B' 3-Day Tournament. Accordingly, Sri Lanka Cricket is compelled to suspend all SLC-organized domestic cricket tournaments until clarification is obtained on the same," SLC stated in a media release.
However, it remains unclear whether or when the national competitions will start. The Sri Lanka cricket team's preparations for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup have been hampered by the suspension of domestic tournaments.
