Sri Lanka to play its 1st-match of T20 WC 2026:Ireland eye upset against home team; SL pacer Eshan Malinga ruled out of tournament

The sixth match of the T20 World Cup will be played today between Sri Lanka and Ireland. The match will start at 7 PM at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The toss takes place at 6:30 PM. Before the tournament began, Sri Lanka suffered a major setback. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga was ruled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury. Rather, Pramod Madushan replaced him on the World Cup squad. Can Sri Lanka rediscover form? Ireland eye upset Sri Lanka lost the T20 series against England just before the World Cup. The team lost 0-3 on home ground. Last year, the team could not even reach the final of the Asia Cup. On the other hand, Ireland defeated Italy 2-1 in a T20 series in January. Ireland has not been able to defeat Sri Lanka yet So far, 3 T20 matches have been played between Sri Lanka and Ireland. Sri Lanka won all of them. All three matches were played in the World Cup. The two teams last met in 2022, when Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets in Hobart. Nissanka is Sri Lanka’s top run-scorer Since 2024, Pathum Nissanka is the highest run-scorer for Sri Lanka. He has scored 1339 runs in 42 matches at a strike rate of 143.05. Meanwhile, Wanindu Hasaranga remains the team’s top wicket-taker with 60 wickets in 36 matches. Adair is Ireland’s Top Wicket-Taker For Ireland, Harry Tector is the top scorer with 620 runs since 2024. His best score is 96 runs. In bowling, Mark Adair has taken 37 wickets in 23 matches and is the team’s top wicket-taker. Pitch and Weather In Colombo, there will be overcast conditions throughout the day, with a low chance of rain. The temperature will range between 24 and 31 degrees Celsius. Pitch Report
R Premadasa Stadium’s pitch is spin-friendly, and a low-scoring match can be expected here. Teams winning the toss might choose to bat first. There will be no dew effect in Colombo, so teams might decide to defend the target. Possible Playing-11 Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (Captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dushmantha Chameera. Ireland: Paul Stirling (Captain), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wicketkeeper), Curtis Campher, Benjamin White, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, and Joshua Little. Where to watch the match? LIVE streaming of this match will be on Star Sports. It can also be watched on the JioHotstar app. You can follow the LIVE coverage of the match on the Bhaskar English App.