Surprise Packet?

Sri Lanka come into the 2026 World Cup, under the radar and could well be the fairy-tale story of the tournament. The team has enjoyed good success over the last couple of months and are no strangers to the English conditions.

Chamari Athapaththu and her team have an excellent blend of youth and experience and are in the more favourable grouping, in Pool B. That group is wide open and if any team can spring a surprise, it’s Sri Lanka.

Not listed as one of the favourites for the World Cup final, the team is quietly succeeding at keeping their name out of that list while sharpening their cue.

Squad

Chamari Athapaththu (capt), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Madavi, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Kumari, Nimasha Meepage, Chethana Vimukthi, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya

Key Players to Watch

Chamari Athapaththu needs no introduction at all, one of the most explosive batters in world cricket and a very crafty off-spin bowler. So dominant has she been over the years that if she failed to score runs, the rest of the team folded.

That has all changed in the last two years since Sri Lanka Cricket introduced better facilities and directed more resources to the women’s game. Those moves have paid great dividends to the extent that this team sits comfortably in sixth place in the T20 International rankings.

Player who had under performed over the years now started playing like champions. Hasini Perera and Kavisha Dilhari come to mind. Their 20s and 30s with the bat are now being converted into 50s and more. That has reduced the run scoring burden on Chamari. Nilakshi de Silva and Sugandika Kumari are two other experienced heads in the team, and mainstays with the ball.

What is exciting about this team is the youth coming through. Opening bat Vishmi Gunarathne, recently recovering from injury is a punishing top order left-hander. She made her mark with Sri Lanka’s U19 team and was quickly vaulted into the senior team, and for good reason: she has oodles of talent and a great technique.

Chethana Vimukthi was a late addition to the team following the withdrawal of another player. The medium pace bowler is yet to play a T20 International but took 4-31 against Pakistan in a warm-up match for the World Cup. Another pacer who will feature for Sri Lanka in the English conditions is Malki Madara. In her short career she has already turned heads.

Strengths/weaknesses

They won’t be overawed by the occasion. They never are. That’s a great strength. The fact that they are not anyone’s choice to win the cup means they can just quietly go about their business while no-one is taking any notice. They wear the underdog tag with pride.

Their key strength on the field is their batting. The batters know how to find the boundaries and more often than not clear them.

There is a really good mix of bowling talent and depth. They have pace with Malki Madara, Chethana Vimukthi, Kawya Kavindi and Mithali Ayodhya. They can’t all play, but it does point to the depth. Naturally Sri Lanka has a barrage of spin bowling options, not least of which is the skipper, but also the experienced left-arm slow bowler, Sugandika Kumari.

Fielding has never been a strong point for this team and they do have a relatively new wicket keeper in Kaushini Nuthyangana. If the fielding can match the batting and the bowling then Sri Lanka have all bases covered.

Fixtures

Pool A:

• 12th June: England
• 16th June: New Zealand
• 21st June: West Indies
• 23rd June: Ireland
• 26th June: Scotland

Tournament Prospects

Putting on the bright blue and gold jersey and sitting down to a bowl of Kukul Mas, let’s map out a path to the semis for Sri Lanka. The first three games are the toughest, not the least having to play in the tournament opener against the hosts. They have played England 12 times for two victories. If they can spring a surprise win over the hosts that will not only set them on a good path it will ignite the entire campaign.

Next up they have current champions, New Zealand. That’s probably the toughest match for Sri Lanka in this World Cup, but they recorded two victories over the White Ferns. If they defeat the Kiwis they have one foot in the door to the semis.

West Indies are unpredictable. Dominant one day, docile the next. The two have played 29 times, with Sri Lanka winning seven of those matches. If they get the West Indies on a “docile” day, then a win is more than likely.

That leaves Ireland, over whom they have recorded four wins out of five matches. And Scotland, who they have never played.

Get the tournament off to a good start and this team could be a dark horse for the semi finals.

Prediction

Likely wins against Ireland and Scotland, the Sri Lankans need to defeat at least one of England, New Zealand or the West Indies. The task is not beyond them. Do not be surprise if this team makes the semi finals. Then of course, anything can happen.