Sri Lankan PM Harini, Honouring Sooryavanshi? The Viral Image Is AI-Generated

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When 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi arrived in Sri Lanka fresh off a record-breaking IPL 2026 season, having become one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the world, fan excitement ran high. So, when a photograph appeared to show him receiving a special award from Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, it spread instantly across social media. We investigated. The image is AI-generated, and no such meeting ever took place.

Social Media Posts:

A post circulated on social media showed what appeared to be a photograph of Indian cricketer Vaibhav Sooryavanshi receiving a special award from Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Dr Harini Amarasuriya.

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The post spread rapidly across platforms and was widely shared by cricket fans in the following forms:

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We investigated whether Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya genuinely honoured Sooryavanshi.

Fact-Check :

The viral photograph purports to show Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old Indian batting sensation who won the Orange Cap at IPL 2026 and set numerous records, receiving a special award from Dr Harini Amarasuriya, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister.

Vaibhav arrived in Sri Lanka on 5 June 2026 as part of the India A squad to take part in a triangular one-day series organised by Sri Lanka Cricket, featuring India A, Sri Lanka A, and Afghanistan A. The series is scheduled to run from 9 to 21 June 2026 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. Further details are available here, here, and here.

Vaibhav’s arrival in Sri Lanka drew significant attention from the Indian mainstream media, given the enormous public interest following his IPL performances. Coverage of that media interest is available here.

No Meeting Took Place Between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya

If an Indian cricketer had genuinely received a formal honour from Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, it would have been reported by the mainstream media in both countries and confirmed through official sources. Our investigation found that no credible Sri Lankan or Indian news outlet reported any such meeting or award ceremony. No official statement or credible source confirmed the claim.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

We contacted the Prime Minister’s Media Division for clarification. They confirmed that the photograph and the post circulating on social media are false. No meeting between cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya has taken place.

The Image Was Created Using Artificial Intelligence

Given that no credible record of any meeting between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya exists, we submitted the circulating image to several AI-image detection tools. The analysis confirmed that the image is not genuine; it was generated using artificial intelligence.

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Conclusion :

Our investigation confirms that the social media posts claiming Indian cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi was honoured by Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya are false. The Prime Minister’s Media Division confirmed that no such meeting took place. The photograph circulating on social media was generated using artificial intelligence and does not depict a real event.