Sri Lanka is currently going through an economic crisis which has led to its citizens being deprived of the basic necessities. For the last 50 days, people have been forced to stand in long queues to buy the necessary items. Currently, the island nation is the host of the Asia Cup 2022. However, with the people protesting against their government, it is highly unlikely that the tournament, which will be played after 2018, will be held in the country.
It is quite possible that the tournament could be played either in the United Arab Emirates or Bangladesh depending on the situation. Hosting the tournament in India or Pakistan is out of the question due to the political turmoil between both countries. Meanwhile, Sunday Times has reported that India will play two T20Is in Sri Lanka either before or after the tournament.
India will be playing 2 match T20 series against Sri Lanka before or after Asia cup for majoring earning as country is going through a big crisis. (Source – Sunday Times)
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) May 29, 2022
The money generated from these games will be used to help the Sri Lanka government overcome the crisis. The source of revenue would be the broadcasting rights of the games around the globe (depending on how many TV channels), as well as the online streaming websites, which will pick up the rights. Another source would be the gate money, i.e the crowds paying for the tickets. However, it is highly unlikely that it will happen given the situation.
For the unversed, this isn’t the first time the BCCI is lending its helping hand. Last year, the board organized a limited-overs series in the South Asian country to help the Sri Lanka Cricket to overcome the financial crisis. However, this time, the objective is grander. It will be interesting how things shape up regarding the upcoming Asia Cup. Currently, the people of the country are not letting their guard off the protests.
They have been aggressively demanding the Prime Minister and the President of the Country to resign and take an exile from politics. If the tournament does get hampered, the UAE will be the front runner just like the 2018 edition. Back then, the BCCI had to organize the tournament in the gulf nation due to security reasons for Pakistan’s team in India.
