Shikhar Dhawan and co. set to gain massively as SLC comes up with huge statement

Sri Lankan cricketers Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka were suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket on Monday and were subsequently recalled from the ongoing England vs Sri Lanka 2021 series. The aforementioned Sri Lankan players breached their bio-bubble in England which resulted in their suspension. The trio is likely to face up to a one-year ban as Sri Lanka cricket is seeking harsher punishment.

England vs Sri Lanka 2021: Banned Sri Lankan cricketers likely to face up to a one-year ban

Sri Lanka’s Senior Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa took to Twitter and called for harsher punishment against those violating bio-bubble rules in the UK. He tweeted, "Opportunity & time can be invested into youngsters to represent the country, in an attempt to revive #Srilanka cricket. However, playing with a lack of intent & poor discipline should not be tolerated. @OfficialSLC must take strict action against players who violate these rules!"

According to an InsideSport report, an SLC official while reacting to Sports Minister's demand for harsher punishment said that the punishment for the three cricketers in question could be anywhere between 3 months to 1 year. The three players will face a disciplinary inquiry in Colombo upon their return to Sri Lanka. If these Sri Lanka cricketers are penalized heavily, it could lead to them missing the upcoming India vs Sri Lanka 2021 limited-overs series, which could be a piece of welcome news for Shikhar Dhawan's men. Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka Gunathilaka are among the most prominent Sri Lanka cricketers and their absence could be a massive blow for the hosts as they are already going through a challenging period with their below-par performances in recent times.

India vs Sri Lanka 2021 schedule

• India vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI: July 13, 2021 - Colombo - 10:00 AM (IST)
• India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI: July 16, 2021 - Colombo - 10:00 AM (IST)
• India vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI: July 18, 2021 - Colombo - 10:00 AM (IST)
• India vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I: July 21, 2021 - Colombo - 7:00 PM (IST)
• India vs Sri Lanka 2nd T20I: July 23, 2021 - Colombo - 7:00 PM (IST)
• India vs Sri Lanka 3rd T20I: July 25, 2021 - Colombo - 7:00 PM (IST)

India squad for Sri Lanka tour 2021

Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prithvi Shaw, Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Rana, Ishan Kishan (Wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, K Gowtham, Krunal Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Vice-captain), Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, Chetan Sakariya

Net Bowlers: Ishan Porel, Sandeep Warrier, Arshdeep Singh, Sai Kishore, Simarjeet Singh 

IMAGE SOURCE: BCCI TWITTER