Arjuna Ranatunga urges Sri Lanka players to pause Indian T20 League commitments and participate in protests

Former Sri Lanka skipper Arjuna Ranatunga has urged Sri Lanka players to stop playing the Indian T20 League and join the ongoing protests in the country. Currently, the island nation is going through an economic crisis with people standing in long queues for even basic amenities such as food, fuel, medicine, etc. The citizens of the country are protesting for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Sri Lanka players such as Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, and Chamika Karunaratne are part of different Indian T20 League sides. Ranatunga has asked the players to stop playing the cash-rich for one week and participate in the nationwide protests. He added that players are scared to speak against the government as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) comes under a ministry and they don’t want to risk their jobs.

“I really don’t know but there are some cricketers who are lavishly playing in the IPL and haven’t spoken about their country. Unfortunately, people are scared to speak against the government. These cricketers are also working for the cricket board under the ministry and they are trying to protect their jobs. But now they have to take a step as some of the young cricketers also came forward and gave statements in support of the protest,” Arjuna Ranatunga was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The 1996 World Cup-winning skipper further added that people need to speak out against the wrongs without worrying about their businesses and jobs. “When something is going wrong, you should have the guts to come out and speak against it, without thinking about your business. People ask me why I am not in the protests. It’s just that I have been into politics for the last 19 years and this is not a political issue. So far, none of the political parties and politicians have got into the protests and that’s the biggest strength of the people of this country,” he added.