Sony Sports Network reignites an exciting cricket rivalry with the live telecast of India Tour of Sri Lanka

Khel Today Bureau

Mumbai: After a resounding win over Zimbabwe in their own backyard, Team India is set for another litmus test as they travel down south to face Sri Lanka for a limited-over series. The two sides will face each other across three T20Is in Pallekele, followed by three ODIs in Colombo. The series, starting Saturday, 27th July 2024, will be broadcast LIVE on Sony Sports Network from 7:00 PM IST onwards.

World Champions India picked up where they left off in the recently concluded T20 World Cup to defeat Zimbabwe 4-1 in a T20I series. A new-look India travelled to Harare to prove their caliber as the country ushers in a new era of cricket, following the retirement of legendary players Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from T20I cricket. Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli, however, will feature in the ODIs against the Lankans.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be looking to bank on their young talent to deliver on their home turf as they aim to restore the glory days of the past. Focus will be on key players including Matheesha Pathirana along with Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga who feature in the top 10 men’s ODI Batting and T20I all-rounder ICC rankings. Interestingly, the two sides will also have new head coaches at the helm when they face each other with Gautam Gambhir leading India for the first time and Sanath Jayasuriya taking the charge for Sri Lanka.

The age-old rivalry between the Men in Blue & the Lankan Lions has seen many twists & turns from the times of cricket greats like Rahul Dravid & Sachin Tendulkar for India & Kumar Sangakkara & Mahela Jayawardena for Sri Lanka. It is time for the next generation of players including Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Maheesh Theekshana & Matheesh Pathirana, to take the baton forward and write a new chapter in this rivalry.

As cricket gains pace on Sony Sports Network, with the broadcast of India Tour of Zimbabwe, Major League Cricket (MLC), West Indies Tour of England & Vitality T20 Blast, their flagship studio show Extraaa Innings returns with an exciting roster of English commentators including Robin Uthappa, Scott Styris, Saba Karim and Abhinav Mukund supported by Sri Lankan commentators Roshan Abeysinghe and Russell Arnold. The Hindi roster comprises Ashish Nehra, Ajay Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Vivek Razdan and Aakash Chopra while the Tamil & Telugu panel will have Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan, R. Sridhar, Anirudha Srikkantha, TR Arasu, Venkatapathy Raju, Ashish Reddy and Akshath Reddy respectively.

The broadcast of Sri Lanka vs India will be in prime time for Indian fans as they can enjoy watching their favorite cricketers in action live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 5 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels.

India Squad for T20Is:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

India Squad for ODIs:

Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Sri Lanka Squad for T20Is:

Charith Asalanka (C), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Janith Perera, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando.

Mr. Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer – Distribution & International Business and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India. 

Mr. Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer – Distribution & International Business and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India:

“The broadcast of India Tour of Sri Lanka solidifies Sony Sports Network’s position as a global multi-sports arena for audiences in India. These are exciting times for Indian cricket with the team’s recent T20 World Cup victory, the rise of new young players and the appointment of new head coach. India Tour of Sri Lanka comes at the perfect time for Indian fans who will be eager to watch the new-look team in action at prime time.”

Mr. Ashley De Silva, CEO, Sri Lanka Cricket:

“We are delighted to welcome India for a limited-over series for the first time since 2021. It will be exciting to see how the team performs under the new head coach. The two teams have a fair share of history between themselves, and it will be exciting to see some top-quality matches during the series, which will be broadcast on Sony Sports Network.”

Watch the live coverage of India Tour of Sri Lanka from 27th July, 7:00 PM IST onwards LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1. Sony Sports Ten 5 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) and Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil / Telugu) channels.

For the latest updates from the world of sport, follow the Sony Sports Network on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel. 

About Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited (formerly known as Sony Pictures Networks India): 

Sony Pictures Networks India is the consumer-facing identity of Culver Max Entertainment Private Limited, which is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation, Japan. 

The Company has several channels including Sony Entertainment Television (SET and SET HD), one of India’s leading Hindi general entertainment television channels; Sony MAX, India’s premium Hindi movies and special events channel; Sony MAX 2, another Hindi movie channel showcasing great India Cinema; Sony MAX HD, a high definition Hindi movie channel airing premium quality films; Sony WAH, the Hindi movies channel for rural markets; Sony SAB and Sony SAB HD the family-oriented Hindi comedy entertainment channels; Sony PAL, a genre leader in rural Hindi speaking markets (HSM) showcasing the best of Hindi general entertainment and Hindi movies from its content library; Sony PIX and Sony PIX HD, Sony BBC Earth and Sony BBC Earth HD, the premium factual entertainment channels, Sony AATH, the Bangla entertainment channel; Sony YAY!, the kids entertainment channel; Sony Sports Network – Sony Sports Ten 1,  Sony Sports Ten 1 HD, Sony Sports Ten 2, Sony Sports Ten 2 HD, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony Sports Ten 3 HD; Sony Sports Ten 4, Sony Sports Ten 4 HD; Sony Sports Ten 5; Sony Sports Ten 5 HD; Sony Marathi, the Marathi general entertainment channel; Sony LIV – the digital entertainment VOD platform and Studio NEXT the independent production venture for original content and IPs for TV and digital media. The Company reaches out to over 700 million viewers in India and is available in 167 countries.  

The Company is recognised as an employer of choice within and outside the media industry. It is a recipient of several awards, including India’s Best Companies to Work For 2021 by the Great Place to Work® Institute, India, ‘Aon Best Employers India’ awards in recognition of the company’s unique workplace culture and exceptional people practices, consistently ranking amongst India’s Top 10 Companies with Best Health & Wellness Practices by SHRM & CGP Partners and listed by Working Mother & AVTAR as one of the 100 Best Companies for Women in India.  

The Company is in its 28th year of operations in India. Besides having overseas subsidiaries, it has a subsidiary MSM-Worldwide Factual Media Private Limited, and an affiliate, Bangla Entertainment Private Limited in India. 

For more information, log onto www.sonypicturesnetworks.com