SL vs IRE, T20 World Cup 2026: Sri Lanka beat Ireland by 20 runs in Group B clash

Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by 20 runs in a Group B match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka recovered from a precarious 87/4 to post a competitive 163/6, with Kusal Mendis anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 56 off 43 balls and Kamindu Mendis providing late fireworks with a rapid 44 off just 19 deliveries. The duo added 67 runs off 29 balls to lift the hosts past the 160 mark.

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Ireland’s spinners choked Sri Lanka through the middle overs, conceding no boundaries between overs 7 and 15 and removing Pavan Rathnayake and Dunith Wellalage. However, sloppy fielding and expensive death bowling allowed Sri Lanka to plunder 60 runs in the final four overs. Openers Pathum Nissanka (24) and Kamil Mishara gave Sri Lanka a steady start before the latter was dismissed by Mark Adair, while George Dockrell (2/17) and Barry McCarthy (2/40) were the standout bowlers for Ireland.

Ireland chase

Chasing 164, Ireland looked well placed at 105/2, with Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker stabilising the innings. However, a dramatic middle-order collapse triggered by Sri Lanka’s spinners saw Ireland bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.

Skipper Paul Stirling was castled by Maheesh Theekshana for six in the fourth over, while Ross Adair counterattacked with 34 off 23 balls before Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed him with a googly in the eighth over. Tector (40) and Tucker (21) then added 49 runs off 38 balls, but their dismissals in successive overs turned the game decisively in Sri Lanka’s favour.

Ireland lost wickets in quick succession thereafter, with Benjamin Calitz and Gareth Delany falling to Theekshana and Curtis Campher dismissed cheaply by Hasaranga. Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana cleaned up the tail to seal the win.

Theekshana finished with figures of 3/23, while Hasaranga, despite battling hamstring discomfort, returned 3/25 in a match-winning spell.

T20 World Cup,  Sri lanka vs Ireland: Toss Update

Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl first on a pitch that looked dry but firm. Skipper Paul Stirling said his side would look to exploit the conditions with the new ball before chasing a target.

“It looks like a good wicket. We’ll see what we can do with the new ball and chase whatever they set. Preparation has been excellent, and we’ve picked an extra batter to strengthen our lineup,” Stirling said at the toss.

Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka said the surface should favour batting, with a total of 170-plus likely to be competitive. The 2014 champions are playing a home World Cup after a mixed run of form, including a recent 3-0 T20I series defeat to England.

“It’s a very good track. We’re settled with five bowlers and five quality batters, and everyone is excited playing a home World Cup,” Shanaka said.

The square boundaries are at 71 metres and 77 metres, while the straight boundary is 84 metres. Sri Lanka have won all three previous T20I meetings between the two sides.

T20 World Cup,  Sri lanka vs Ireland: Playing XIs

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana

Ireland: Paul Stirling (c), Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, Ben Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys