3 months ago
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Rehan Fernando is excited during a 20-minute thrust to the Premadasa— not precisely by the thoughts of an India vs Pakistan match that keeps millions of fans engaged crossed the stadium, surviving rooms, pubs and societal media.
“I americium going to get a batch of Uber requests connected Sunday (February 15, 2026) for stadium drop-offs and pick-ups. Need to support Suzuki Every fuelled and acceptable for the unreserved hours,” Fernando sing-songs.
The 41-year-old, a begetter of two, knows that Sunday unsocial tin adhd substantially to his wallet.
“I heard tickets person been sold out. Who knows! Maybe I volition get capable wealth to bash immoderate pending repair works.” Fernando’s words are, successful fact, a reflection of the wide temper successful Sri Lanka. For many, the India vs Pakistan match, which they don’t person immoderate nonstop transportation with, is simply a wealth spinner.
Fernando is not unsocial either. The hopes of a fiscal windfall waft crossed sections of Lankan society.
Let’s determination to the posh Park Street Mews— the heartbeat of Colombo evenings and nights.
A abbreviated thrust to the bustling nutrient thoroughfare done Kynsey Mawatha (road) past the De Soysa ellipse shows each things bully astir Colombo.
Glitzy buildings, wide and cleanable roads, showrooms of ace luxury cars, outlets of exclusive suitings, good dine restaurants— the 2km travel easy fits Colombo’s tag arsenic a cosmopolitan larboard city.
It leads to a wide thoroughfare filled with pubs and bistros, but Indian and Pakistani visitors person outnumbered the locals connected a vibe Saturday (February 14, 2026) nighttime that runs till 2 a.m.
“We are struggling to find seats for our customers. We mostly get bully footfalls connected weekends, but we person not expected this benignant of numbers,” says Michael Amarasiri, store manager of a well-known waterhole successful the city.
Amarasiri has a deeper engagement with the Sunday (February 15, 2026) blockbuster. His brother-in-law runs a question institution here, and the stop-start quality of the lucifer had enactment them successful a quandary.
“Till past week, we were unsure whether the lucifer would hap oregon not. We person besides received immoderate requests to cancel the country bookings aft Pakistan announced its determination to boycott this match.
“But erstwhile it was decided to get connected with the match, we received calls to revive the cancelled country bookings, and besides much fans from India — peculiarly from Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru — person approached america for two-night oregon adjacent one-night stays,” says Amarasiri.
“Yeah, we cannot entertain everyone but we besides person tried to nexus with small-time circuit operators and individuals who are giving houses connected rent to accommodate arsenic galore requests arsenic possible. We besides person recovered retired that the airfare has truly gone done the extortion successful the past mates of days,” helium says.
"Maybe we tin person much India vs Pakistan matches successful Colombo. Why don't we person a bilateral bid betwixt them here?" Amarasiri chuckles.
But these are radical from organised sectors. The section manufacture is besides acceptable to marque hay connected the weekend.
The Khettarama roadworthy is present teeming with section vendors selling Indian and Pakistani jerseys, hats, flags, young men roaming astir with ink to people erasable tattoos, impermanent stalls to springiness lemonade, effect foodstuff and coconut h2o to fans lasting successful queue nether the beaming Lankan sun.
Even the cricketers consciousness it themselves. Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha described it well.
“I person done astatine slightest 4-5 tours of Sri Lanka. I person seen the champion radical of my beingness here. They are precise bully radical and their hospitality is precise good. So we are enjoying our clip here,” said Salman.
So bash the fans and the Sri Lankan economy.
