amindu Mendis returns, Dhananjay de Silva excluded:Dasun Shanaka to lead 15-member Sri Lanka squad in T20 World Cup; injured Eshan Malinga also included

Sri Lanka has released the final squad for the T20 World Cup. Kamindu Mendis has returned replacing Dhananjaya de Silva who played T20 against England. Injured pacer Ishan Malinga is also part of the team. All-rounder Dasun Shanaka will captain the team. The tournament will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. Kamindu Mendis returns to SL squad for T20 World Cup
Kamindu Mendis was not part of the last T20 series against England and Pakistan. He could only score 159 runs at an average of 19.87 in 2025. During this time, his strike rate remained at just 130.32. He could only bowl 6 overs in 12 matches. Kamindu’s speciality is that he can bowl spin with both hands. Wellalage could feature in the playing XI
After dropping Dhananjaya De Silva, the team might include 23-year-old left-arm spin all-rounder Dunith Wellalage in the playing-11. However, he has only played 6 T20s for Sri Lanka. While he is a regular in the ODI team, he hasn’t been able to cement his place in T20s. Wellalage does have experience playing T20s in franchise leagues. He also captained Sri Lanka-A in the Emerging Asia Cup. Pawan Rathnayake makes his way to the 15-member squad
Batter Pawan Rathnayake, who scored a century in the ODI series against England, also got a place in the World Cup team. He has scored only 45 runs in 4 T20s. However, his strike rate remained above 145. Meanwhile, fast bowler Pramod Madushan was dropped. Sri Lanka to play the first match on February 8
Sri Lanka is in Group B with Australia, Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe. The team will play all its group stage matches on home ground. Sri Lanka will play its first match against Ireland on February 8. The team will face Oman on February 12, Australia on February 16, and Zimbabwe on February 19. 2 matches will be played in Colombo and 2 in Pallekele. Sri Lanka Squad for T20 WC 2026
Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pawan Rathnayake, Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana and Ishan Malinga.