During their meeting on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee confirmed a 15-man men’s team for the Asian Games 2026 T20I competition, which would take place in Japan. Niroshan Dickwella will continue to play wicketkeeper, while Sahan Arachchige will captain the team.
On September 24, 2026, the team is scheduled to travel to Japan. The T20I tournament will take place in Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, from September 24 to October 3, 2026. In the men’s event, ten countries will compete.
Only Nuwan Thushara and Tharindu Ratnayake from the group that toured England were retained in this squad due to the selectors’ extensive rotation. One of the more noteworthy aspects of this revelation is that Binura Fernando, who was injured during the England tour, has healed enough to be selected for the Asian Games.
In the three-match T20I series, England defeated Sri Lanka 3-0. On September 19, 2026, the Three Lions won by eight wickets at Old Trafford to complete the sweep. Charith Asalanka took over as the series’ captain after Kusal Mendis, the original captain, was sidelined due to injury before to the start of the tour.
The selectors’ intention to use the multi-sport tournament to evaluate a larger pool of players prior to future assignments is highlighted by the significant contrast between the Asian Games group and the England touring party.
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Cricket made its debut at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, where Sri Lanka won the bronze medal. It has since made three appearances at the Asian Games. Sri Lanka performed even better four years later in Incheon, winning the gold medal by defeating Afghanistan in the final.
Sri Lanka did not win a medal at the most recent competition, which took place in Hangzhou in 2023. Bangladesh won bronze, Afghanistan won silver, while India won gold in the competition. When the competition starts in Japan later this month, Sri Lanka’s goal will be to make a comeback to the podium.
Sri Lanka full squad for Asian Games 2026 men’s T20I event
Sahan Arachchige (C), Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sohan de Livera, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, Garuka Sanketh.
