T20 World Cup Preview | Laggards Lanka look to turn new leaf at home to end 12-year semi-final drought

After putting together a formidable white-ball machine through the first half of 2010s that entered nearly World Cup it played as one of the premier favourites, Sri Lanka have endured a tragic fall from grace. However, the last they played a T20 World Cup at home, they made it all the way to the finals, and even though the odds are stacked against them considering their form and ceiling, the circumstances are as ideal as they get for the hosts to make a deep run in the tournament. 

How did Sri Lanka fare at the last T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean?

As poorly as they could. They started their tournament against South Africa on an atrocious deck in New York with ungodly seam movement and uneven bounce, where Anrich Nortje’s 4/7 bowled them out for 77. The Lions then headed to Dallas where they were again restricted to a subpar score of 124/9 by arch-rivals Bangladesh despite Pathum Nissanka’s 28-ball 47. Even so, Nuwan Thushara nearly pulled them through with 4/17 but Towhid Hridoy’s 20-ball 40 ensured the Tigers a two-wicket victory with an over to spare. To exacerbate matters, Sri Lanka’s encounter against Nepal in Florida was rained out, effectively confirming a group stage elimination. Nevertheless, the Lankans exited on a positive note, posting 201/6 against the Netherlands to secure a 83-run victory with Thushara again starring with a three-fer.

How have they performed since?

Equally bad. In the last year and half, the only series they have won at home has been against the West Indies while their only series win overseas came against Zimbabwe. Barring that, they have been whitewashed at home by India and most recently by England, lost 2-1 to Bangladesh, and drew 1-1 each against New Zealand and Pakistan. As for away results, Sri Lanka lost 2-1 in New Zealand, and made it to the final of a tri-series in Pakistan despite a loss to Zimbabwe before being drubbed in the summit clash by the hosts. 

Sri Lanka’s most promising performances came in the Asia Cup, where they won all group stage games against Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan convincingly. However, the team failed to register a single victory in the Super Fours stage, losing to Bangladesh and Pakistan before tying against India, where they ended up on the wrong side in the ensuing Super Over.

Sri Lanka post 2024 T20 WC: W 13 L 20 (including two Super over losses)

Have there been any personnel changes as a result?

Droves of them, and a lot of it confusing like their subcontinental brethren. For starters, the Lankans have had two changes in captaincy since the 2024 World Cup. Charith Asalanka replaced Dhananjaya de Silva in the aftermath of the disastrous tournament, before rescinding the post to former skipper Dasun Shanaka six weeks before the 2026 edition. Notably, this will be the fourth time Shanaka will lead Sri Lanka into a World Cup, having already done the job in the 2021 and 2022 T20 editions as well as the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.

While Asalanka remains a part of Sri Lanka’s first choice XI, de Silva was dropped from the squad altogether on deadline day. The all-rounder was a part of their latest squad versus England, which saw Kusal Perera replace the out-of-form Kamindu Mendis. However, a poor series for de Silva meant he ultimately paved the way for Mendis, aided by skipper Shanaka calling the latter “a very valuable player”.

Sadeera Samarawickrama is the other batter from 2024 that has since fallen out of favour, with the young Kamil Mishara and Pavan Rathnayake preferred instead having played 18 and five T20Is respectively. Angelo Matthews has also retired from international cricket and Janith Liyanage has established himself in the setup as a direct replacement. In the pace department, Eshan Malinga has triumphed in the battle of the slingas against Nuwan Thushara, while Dilshan Madushanka has also been omitted from the setup in recent times.

Sri Lanka’s squad for the T20 World Cup: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga

Probable XI: 1 Pathum Nissanka 2 Kamil Mishara 3 Kusal Mendis (wk) 4 Pavan Rathnayake 5 Charith Asalanka/Kusal Perera 6 Dasun Shanaka (c) 7 Dunith Wellalage 8 Wanindu Hasaranga 9 Dushmantha Chameera 10 Maheesh Theekshana 11 Matheesha Pathirana/ Eshan Malinga

But Sri Lanka were one of the T20 pioneers not so long ago…

Back when T20 still resembled cricket of the olden days. Beholden by the era of Jayawardene and Sangakkara and Kulasekara and Malinga, Sri Lanka have failed to keep up with the rapidly evolving format and now find themselves playing a completely different game than their competitors.

For instance, Sri Lanka have taken 24 deliveries to hit a six on average since the last T20 World Cup. The next worst on the list is Afghanistan at 19 balls, while char-toppers India have struck a maximum every two overs. Subsequently, their strike rate of 126.13 in the time period is also only better than Afghanistan’s, and more than 30 points off India. One would assume this low-risk band of cricket would culminate in at least better wicket preservation, but in that regard too Sri Lanka find themselves joint-bottom in the list with an average of 21.10. When batting first, the Lions have breached 170 just four times in 15 attempts, two of which ended in defeats, including a solitary 200-plus total. In November 2024, the batting unit hit a new low when they were bowled out for 103 chasing a paltry 109 against the Kiwis in Dambulla. To hammer the final nail in their coffin, the Lankans have struck at a miserly 125.1 at the death in big 2026 – the only team under 130.

With the ball too, Sri Lanka have struggled in arguably the most important aspect of modern T20s – taking wickets in the middle overs. The side has struck only every 26 deliveries between overs 6 and 16, with only the West Indies and South Africa faring worse. The same holds true for overall numbers too when considering all phases of the game. In fact, Sri Lanka have bowled out the opposition just thrice in 32 matches; for context, India have managed to do so 15 times in just seven more matches played while Afghanistan have done it six times in 11 fewer games.

(Data comparisons include only Test playing nations barring Bangladesh, Ireland, and Zimbabwe)

What about Sri Lanka’s global superstars Hasaranga-Theekshana and Pathirana?

Hasaranga has been by far Sri Lanka’s most prolific bowler over the last year and a half, scalping 41 wickets, which is 15 more than his partner-in-crime Theekshana despite playing a game less. Both men have maintained tidy economies too, of 7.50 and 7.69 respectively, but they’ll be the first ones to admit their form has left a lot to be desired in recent times. Nevertheless, substantial IPL experience is bound to come in handy in a global tournament such as the World Cup, where they’ve already battled against the world’s best.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Pathirana. The right-arm quick entered the last World Cup at the peak of his powers, having scalped 13 wickets for Chennai Super Kings in just six games at an economy of 7.68. However, injuries have since led to a sharp regression in his growth trajectory since. In 12 games for CSK in 2025, he again managed 13 wickets, only this time at an economy of 10.13 and was duly released by the franchise as a result. For the national team too, Pathirana lost his place as a guaranteed starter and has been their most expensive bowler amongst those in the squad, conceding runs at 8.94 an over with a decent wicket haul of 24 in 16 games. Nevertheless, Pathirana has since confessed he has been dealing with shoulder issues that severely impacted his release points and is already showing signs of improvement even as the rehab work continues. Less than two months ago, he was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL auction for INR 18 crores and in his most recent appearance strangled England with 2/27 to set up a chaseable 129-run target. If the performance is a sign of things to come, the World Cup might just be the big stage where Pathirana re-establishes himself as Malinga’s worthy successor, given he manages to make it to the starting XI.

Any standout performers or areas of strength?

Nissanka, by a distance, is Sri Lanka’s greatest hope of pulling off great things at the T20 World Cup. Since the 2024 event, the opener has struck over a thousand runs at an average of 36.12 and a strike rate of 140.97, leading his team in all three metrics by a significant margin. The 27-year-old has eight half-centuries in the period, and proved himself to be a world-beater when his 58-ball 107 almost singlehandedly saw Sri Lanka tie India’s total of 202 at the Asia Cup. 

The Lions have also been tidy with the new ball, their powerplay economy of 8.10 only second best to Afghanistan’s 7.33 albeit sluggish pitches at home had a part to play in it. Similarly, they conceded a boundary only every 21 deliveries across all phases of the game, making them the only team to better the 20-ball mark.

Verdict: Home advantage may spur a surprise deep-run

Sri Lanka have been grouped with Australia, Ireland, Oman, and Zimbabwe in the first stage of the World Cup. Given they play all their games at home, a Super Eight berth should be the minimum the Lions should expect of themselves. Even in the Super Eight, the hosts are likely to be paired with England, New Zealand, and Pakistan – two teams that are notorious for their struggles against high-quality spin while their subcontinental friends suffer from similar struggles as Sri Lanka. All it would take is clinching a couple of clutch moments, and the Lions may find themselves playing their first World Cup semi-final in 12 years.