Sri Lanka Cricket Charity Match to cost 28 Million, Legend Team players to get $1500

The proposed charity match between current cricketers and Legends team will cost Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) approximately 28 Million rupees, while the former players will be paid $1500 each, Cricket Age reliably learns.

A Sri Lanka Legends team is set to take on a team of current Sri Lankan cricketers, including those who have represented the national side, in a charity match on May 4 in Pallekele. Sri Lanka Cricket’s newly-appointed management committee is overseeing the organisational aspects of the match.

Cricket Age understands that the match will be costing 28 million, including players fee, logistic, accommodation, production cost (to Anil Mohan’s IPG) and man power cost.

“We are hopeful of making 3-4 million profit. Also, from the current players’ point of view it will be a good experience, especially because many of them would love to play alongside their childhood heroes” a top SLC official told Cricket Age. 

However, while the said profit is only Imaginative, the broadcaster of the match – Sony – will be benefited in practically. It has learned that all the advertising slots have been sold and the money will go to Sony, instead of SLC or charity fund.

More shockingly, the SLC will not be getting paid by the Sony for the said match, as it is not in the contract with the broadcaster. In addition, the match will be played behind closed doors, owing to the Covid-19 scare in the country.

“Board CEO Ashley de Silva has requested Sony to contribute to the Covid fund. That’s the only thing the board is HOPING from the Sony” an Insider at SLC told Cricket Age.  

Also, even though it’s a charity match, the legend team players will be getting paid $1500 each.

“Hopefully the match will be a cracker, as Aravida de Silva is also playing” the top SLC official added.

However, while SLC is continually backing the charity match, few past administrators raised some serious questions.

“It’s surprising that former players are charging even for a charity match. Why to term it a charity match, when everyone is making money? Also why Sony is not paying SLC for telecasting the match? In this scenario, it will be interesting to know how much money they will be able to raise for the Covid fund” a former SLC administrator told Cricket Age.

It is understood that the match had been mooted ever since the Sri Lanka Legends team, which came runners-up in last month’s Road Safety World Series, had proved incredibly popular among Sri Lanka’s cricket-viewing public.

While majority of the former stars are set to turn out for the Legends’ team, neither Kumar Sangakkara nor Mahela Jayawardene will be available due to their commitments with the cash-rich IPL.

Sri Lanka Legend Squad: