We’ll be back!!!
SSC recently celebrated its 125th anniversary, and the demotion comes as a shock rather than a surprise for the prestigious Colombo 7 club, which houses the SLC headquarters and the iconic cricket ground, virtually known as the ‘home of cricket’ in Sri Lanka. Yet, this marks the first time SSC has found itself in such a predicament, despite winning more than 30 Premier titles since 1899.
“The truth is we have lost, and the fact is that we must face the music,” said Dodanwela, who also made his first-class appearance at SSC.
“There’s always a silver lining in any failure. This is one such occasion. Winning isn’t everything—once in a while, we must concede and look at the bigger picture to make a strong comeback.”
After winning just one game, against Tamil Union, and drawing five, SSC suffered two shocking defeats against Kurunegala Youth and BRC—two crucial blows that led to the defending champions’ sudden downfall. Now that SSC has completed all eight of their matches, ending in demotion, their only option is to fight their way back.
However, even to make that comeback, SSC will have to wait two seasons, as promotions will only be enforced after the completion of the 2026 season. Until then, SSC will have to regroup in the Tier ‘B’ segment due to SLC’s rigid approach, which permits demotions but restricts promotions to the top division.
Before its formation as a club, SSC initially played as a combined team, featuring school cricketers from Royal College, S. Thomas’ College, and Wesley College. They recorded a stunning one-run victory against Colts in 1899. Later that year, the team officially became Sinhalese Sports Club, spearheaded by a group of distinguished lawyers, businessmen, proprietors, and civil society leaders. Since then, SSC has been an integral part of Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket structure, winning multiple titles, including last season’s Premier Championship.
SSC has produced nearly 40 national players who have represented Sri Lanka across all three formats—Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. In addition, the prestigious club has groomed several captains who have earned immense respect both locally and internationally, including Duleep Mendis, 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardena, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka, and current ODI captain Charith Asalanka. Beyond players, the club has contributed over 100 distinguished cricketing personalities to the sport.
Many view SSC’s relegation from Premier status as a shocker, with some even questioning the structure and quality of domestic cricket in Sri Lanka. However, Dodanwela firmly believes that SSC fielded ‘one of the strongest’ teams in the 18-team competition and had the potential to defend their title. The outcome, however, proved otherwise.
“SSC had the best combination and team when compared to other sides. Unfortunately, most of our players were unavailable due to national commitments, while others were sidelined by injuries. As a result, we suffered a couple of unexpected defeats that proved decisive. Other than that, we were quite competitive,” Dodanwela explained, refusing to lament SSC’s demotion.
“The law is clear—when you lose, you go down. Now, we must fight our way back to the top.”
Following their relegation, rumors emerged that SSC might lose most of its players, as they no longer hold first-class status. However, club and team officials have held a series of meetings in recent days to discuss their future. SSC currently houses nearly 15 national players, and their presence at the top level of domestic cricket may be impacted by this setback.
“We had a constructive meeting earlier this week, and all of our players have pledged their commitment to the club. They are determined to stay, help SSC reclaim its rightful place, and become champions again. We have a statement to make through our cricket, as we always have. Sometimes, failure is necessary—constant success breeds complacency. Failures are the stepping stones to success, and it’s our turn to learn from our mistakes,” Dodanwela revealed.