Sasidu Ranathunga of John Keells Holdings and Yasasri Herath of IFS emerged victorious in the Men’s and Women’s Open Singles categories at the 41st MBA Novices Badminton Championship 2025, held at the MBA Indoor Courts in Colombo from March 22nd to 30th.
The tournament, organized by the Mercantile Badminton Association (MBA), saw the participation of nearly 390 shuttlers representing 52 local corporations.
In the Men’s Open Singles final, Ranathunga defeated Sapumal Bimsara of Nations Trust Bank 2-1 in a closely contested match. The Women’s Open Singles final saw Herath comfortably defeat Nivodi Perera of Seylan Bank 2-0.
The Men’s Doubles title was claimed by Kasun Priyanka and Sapumal Bimsara of Nations Trust Bank, while Chamali Botheju and Keshani Devindi of LOLC won the Women’s Doubles title. The Mixed Doubles title was won by Bhagya Ranasinghe and Yasmitha Dayarathne of John Keells Holdings.
The nine-day championship, consisting of 12 events and 416 matches, concluded with a colorful awards ceremony featuring former Sri Lanka sprinter Ranga Wimalawansa as Chief Guest.