Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Upali holds puja to banish ‘evil spirits’

NDTV.com: The newly elected chief of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Upali Dharmadasa, on Thursday declared that ‘evil spirits’, which had plagued the governing body have been driven out through a special ‘puja’.

Addressing the reporters here after assuming the office, Dharmadasa, who had obtained the services of a sorcerer to conduct the puja last night, said the demons and other evil spirits have been driven out.

“I am a businessman and I know the effects of these evil spirits,” he said.

Dharmadasa was appointed uncontested to the chair of SLC presidency on January 3 after the board was run continuously under politically appointed interim committees for seven years.

Meanwhile, Dharmadasa downplayed the huge financial mire that engulfs the board terming it as a mere cash flow problem.

The SLC is reportedly in financial difficulty to the tune of seven billion Sri Lanka rupees and have failed to pay the player wages since the end of the World Cup in April last year and other unpaid bills, including staff salaries. The board losses were mainly blamed on the development of two brand new stadiums, the Pallekele in Kandy and the Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium in Hambantota, both of which hosted the World Cup games.

Dharmadasa said around USD 15 million was expected from the scheduled tour of India in July.

“I have convinced all suppliers that we would pay them for their services in due course,” he informed.

The upcoming tour by England in March would go ahead as planned despite reports that some of the leading hotels had refused to take the SLC bookings due to unsettled dues.