A bitter legal battle between Sri Lanka Cricket and its former head coach has reignited in Switzerland, as Chandika Hathurusingha targets individual cricket officials over his controversial dismissal and alleged financial and reputational losses.
Former Sri Lankan head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has filed a fresh case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, seeking nearly $500,000 in damages over the termination of his contract by Sri Lanka Cricket.
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Hathurusingha has named the Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee members who were in office at the time of his dismissal as respondents in the new legal action. This move follows an earlier ruling by CAS which held that Sri Lanka Cricket, as an institution, could not be named as a respondent because it is not incorporated under an Act of Parliament.
The dispute dates back to 2019, when Sri Lanka Cricket terminated Hathurusingha’s contract, citing disciplinary concerns and unsatisfactory on-field performance. Hathurusingha has consistently denied the allegations, maintaining that the decision was unjustified and damaging to his professional standing.
Following his dismissal, he initially filed a claim with CAS seeking compensation for loss of income, loss of future opportunity, and damage to reputation. However, CAS upheld a preliminary objection raised by Sri Lanka Cricket’s legal team, ruling that while the cricket body could not be sued in its own name, Hathurusingha was entitled to pursue legal action against the individual officials involved in the termination decision.
With the new case now formally filed, the legal spotlight once again turns to the governance and accountability of Sri Lanka Cricket’s leadership, as the long-running dispute moves into its next phase.
