Sri Lanka would be a force to reckon with in the Super Eight stage

With strong spin options and fearless top-order batting, Sri Lanka could emerge as dangerous contenders in the Super Eight phase.

Sri Lanka have shown excellent form in the T20 World Cup 2026, making them one of the most exciting teams to watch. Their players have performed consistently, and the team has displayed strong cohesion in every match. With key players in top form, they are emerging as a serious challenge for any opponent.

Pathum Nissanka’s unbeaten century against Australia highlighted Sri Lanka’s growing strength. His performance helped the team secure an important eight-wicket victory, boosting their confidence ahead of the Super Eight stage. The co-hosts have now qualified and are ready to face tougher competition in the next round.

With three consecutive wins, Sri Lanka are in a strong position. Their consistency and home advantage make them a team other nations will need to watch closely. If they maintain this form, they could emerge as one of the favourites, alongside India, to reach the final of this mega event.

However, Sri Lanka’s recent rise in T20 cricket has not been straightforward. After the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies, the islanders went through a difficult phase in the shortest format of the game.

They lost several major series against top teams in world cricket, including a whitewash in the India–Sri Lanka T20I series in 2024, a 2–1 loss to New Zealand in the 2024-25 home T20I series, a whitewash in England during the 2025-26 T20I series, and, perhaps most notably, a disappointing series defeat to Bangladesh in 2025.

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Here is the complete list of all T20I series Sri Lanka have played and their results after the T20 World Cup 2024

After the disappointing campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board appointed veteran all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya as head coach, marking the beginning of a rebuilding phase for the team. Under Jayasuriya’s guidance, Sri Lanka registered several significant results, including their first bilateral ODI series victory against India in 27 years and a Test win against England away from home for the first time in a decade. More recently, Sri Lanka also defeated New Zealand 2–0 in a home Test series, underlining their steady progress across formats.

In T20I cricket, Sri Lanka showed encouraging signs as well, defeating Zimbabwe and the West Indies and drawing a series against New Zealand during the 2024-25 season. The cricketing world is now witnessing the results of that transition, highlighted by Sri Lanka’s impressive performances in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. In their match against Australia, their tactical awareness and execution across batting, bowling, and fielding stood out clearly.

While Jayasuriya’s coaching influence has been a major factor, there are several other reasons why Sri Lanka could be a force to reckon with in the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup 2026. Let’s take a closer look.

Destructive Batting Lineup
Many cricket experts believed Sri Lanka’s bowling attack would be their biggest strength on subcontinental wickets in the T20 World Cup 2026. Surprisingly, however, Dasun Shanaka’s side have impressed just as much with the bat. From opener Pathum Nissanka to Kusal Mendis, Sri Lanka’s batting unit has delivered consistently across matches.

In their opening game against Ireland, wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis scored an unbeaten 56, while Kamindu Mendis contributed 44, helping Sri Lanka post 163 on a slow Colombo pitch. In their second match against Oman, Kusal Mendis once again led the charge with a destructive 61. He was supported by Pavan Rathnayake (60) and captain Dasun Shanaka (50), while Kamindu Mendis added a quick 19 off 7 balls at a strike rate of 271.43. The effort helped Sri Lanka register one of the highest totals of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Sri Lanka’s batting reached another level in the 16 February clash against Australia. Chasing 181, opener Pathum Nissanka produced a magnificent unbeaten century (100)**, while Kusal Mendis scored 51, guiding Sri Lanka to a memorable win. The batting unit showed strong intent, with most players scoring at strike rates above 100.

With these performances, Kusal Mendis has emerged as Sri Lanka’s leading run-scorer and one of the top run-getters in the tournament, underlining the team’s growing confidence with the bat.

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Impact of Spin Bowling
Sri Lanka’s biggest strength in the T20 World Cup 2026 has been the depth and variety in their bowling attack, particularly spin. With Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Sri Lanka possess multiple spin options capable of operating in different phases of the game. Alongside them, Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana provide pace and control, giving the team a well-balanced attack suited to subcontinental conditions.

Sri Lanka entered the World Cup with a setback, as star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga was ruled out of the tournament. Despite his absence, the bowling unit has performed impressively. In the group-stage clash against Australia, Hasaranga’s replacement, leg-spinner Dushan Hemantha, played a decisive role with a three-wicket haul, triggering Australia’s batting collapse. He dismissed Mitchell Marsh (54), Travis Head (56), and Glenn Maxwell (22) at crucial moments.

Hemantha was well supported by Dushmantha Chameera, who picked up two key wickets, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis. Meanwhile, spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage also contributed with important breakthroughs.

Although Australia made a steady start, scoring 104 runs in the first 50 deliveries, Sri Lanka’s bowling attack, led by spin, dramatically pulled things back, eventually restricting Australia to a manageable total. The performance once again highlighted Sri Lanka’s ability to use spin effectively on subcontinental pitches, even without their premier spinner in the lineup.

Coaching and Fielding Make a Big Difference
Besides the contributions from the batting and bowling units,  Sri Lanka’s coaching staff also deserve significant credit for the team’s resurgence. Under Sanath Jayasuriya’s tenure as head coach, Sri Lanka appointed R. Sridhar as fielding coach and Vikram Rathour as batting coach, both of whom were previously part of the Indian men’s team support staff.

With the combined efforts of this coaching group, Sri Lanka, who had failed to qualify for the group stages in the last two T20 World Cups, produced a remarkable performance to defeat the 2021 champions, Australia, by eight wickets, securing their place in the Super Eight stage.

Speaking after the game, head coach Sanath Jayasuriya praised R. Sridhar and Vikram Rathour for the team’s outstanding performance.

“R. Sridhar is our fielding coach, he’s from India, and Vikram is our batting coach. Both are really good gentlemen. They do everything we want at practice, which is really good for fielding. With his IPL experience, Vikram works very well with the players and builds their confidence. Sometimes, as coaches, we may get strict with the batting unit, but we still gave confidence to the players. Vikram and Sridhar were really good,” Jayasuriya said.

The impact of coaching was visible in the match against Australia. Apart from scoring a century in the second innings, Pathum Nissanka took an incredible catch to dismiss Glenn Maxwell. Dunith Wellalage also took an amazing catch to remove Josh Inglis. These moments show how coaching strategy and fielding can play a vital role in Sri Lanka’s Super Eight matches.

In conclusion, Team Sri Lanka are now one of the strongest sides, fit in all departments and fully prepared for the Super Eight stage. Despite securing a spot in the Super Eight with a game to spare, the team still faces injury challenges. Captain Wanindu Hasaranga is sidelined, and the fitness of Matheesha Pathirana remains a concern for the medical staff.

Head coach Sanath Jayasuriya explained the mid-game adjustments: “We wanted to vary the pace and slow it down as much as possible. The wicket was gripping, and we wanted to use that to our advantage. Maheesh Theekshana and the other bowlers bowled very well. We had an issue with Matheesha Pathirana, but we came back strongly after the first few overs. Maheesh came back and bowled three overs. The bowlers did a great job.”

Looking ahead to the final group match against Zimbabwe at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the management is expected to take a cautious approach. Since the result will not affect qualification, Pathirana will likely be rested to ensure full fitness for the high-intensity Super Eight matches. This careful planning, supported by coaches Rathour and Sridhar, will be central to Sri Lanka’s pursuit of a second T20 World Cup title.

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