The final 12-member Sri Lanka Youth Netball pool has been forwarded by the Netball Federation of Sri Lanka (NFSL) to compete in the 13th Asian Youth Under-21 Netball Championship, which is being jointly organised by Netball Asia and the South Korean Netball Association. The tournament will commence on 27th June and will conclude with the finals on 4th July 2025 in Jeonju, South Korea.
Chalani Neesha of Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala, will lead the formidable Sri Lankan youth netball outfit, while Minagee Kankanige of Musaeus College, Colombo, has been appointed vice-captain. Both Chalani and Minagee, along with Bhashi Udagedera and Nethanga Gunaratne, featured in the Sri Lankan side at the 2023 edition of the Asian Youth Championship.
Chalani, the former skipper of Holy Family Convent, Kurunegala, brings senior national experience to the side, having played in the Nations Cup Invitational International Netball Tournament in 2023. She began her netball career under the guidance of veteran coaching duo Imalka and Ananda Wannithilake, who have elevated netball in Kurunegala to an unmatched level. Chalani’s consistent efforts helped her alma mater secure multiple titles at the Milo All-Island Schools Netball Tournaments across all age categories.
Minagee is the current captain of the Musaeus College netball team and is a prolific goal shooter. Thanks to her stellar performance, Musaeus College clinched the Marie Musaeus–Rohini Alles Challenge Trophy for the fifth consecutive year.
The Sri Lankan girls had the privilege of honing their skills under the guidance of veteran coach and Sri Lankan netball legend Hyacinth Wijesinghe. A former national captain and international coach, she has previously worked with both the Sri Lanka and Singapore national teams. Supporting her is assistant coach P.D.N. Prasadi, a former Sri Lankan player who served as the head coach at the 2023 Nations Cup Netball Tournament held in Singapore.
Sri Lanka’s youth netball team has a proud legacy, having been crowned champions three times (1998, 2002, and 2015), finishing as runners-up five times (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2013), and placing third on two occasions (2019 and 2023). In the most recent tournament held in 2023, Malaysia emerged as champions, with Singapore finishing as runners-up and Sri Lanka securing third place.
The upcoming tournament presents a significant challenge for the Sri Lankan side, as the top three teams from the previous edition—Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka—have all been drawn into the same preliminary group.
The preliminary round pools are as follows:
- Group A: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Brunei
- Group B: Chinese Taipei, Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Maldives, and Saudi Arabia
Sri Lanka Youth Squad:
Chalini Neesha (HFC, Kurunegala), Menagee Kankanige (Musaeus, Colombo), Bashi Udagedara (Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala), Chithera Samarakoon (HNB), Mihidum Keerthisiri (Sujatha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda), Nethanga Guneratne (SLIT Campus), Thirandi Kariyawasam (Musaeus College, Colombo), Manoda Ransingha (HFC, Kurunegala, Seylan Bank), Anuththara Kaluarachchi (KDU), Sarani Samara (Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala), Thumalka Ekanayaka (Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala), and Shannon de Silva (Unattached)
Stand-bys – Kasuni Wathsala (Citizen Development Business), Deshani Oshadhi (Helena Wijewardene Vidyalaya) and Hashmila Heshani (Loyola College, Bopitiya)
Head Coach : Hyacinth Wijesinghe
Assistant Coach : P. D. N. Prasadi
Match Fixtures
- Sri Lanka Vs India – June 27
- Sri Lanka Vs Malaysia – June 28
- Sri Lanka Vs Singapore – June 29
- Sri Lanka Vs Brunei – June 30
- Sri Lanka Vs Hong Kong – July 01
 to compete in the 13th Asian Youth Under-21 Netball Championship, which is being jointly organised by Netball Asia and the South Korean Netball Association. The tournament will commence on 27th June and will conclude with the finals on 4th July 2025 in Jeonju, South Korea. ){kind=link}