Table of Contents
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced its full squad for the upcoming men's cricket segment in the ongoing 2026 Asian Games in Japan. For the prestigious event, SLC has named a 15-member squad with Sahan Arachchige as the captain of the team.
For the Asian Games, which will be in a Twenty20 format, Sri Lanka's squad has mostly been framed with emerging talents, as some of the first-team players are not included in the team. But to keep balance in the team, the cricket board has named a bunch of well-experienced cricketers as well for the showcase event.
SLC framed a balanced team for the men's 2026 Asian Games cricket event
Niroshan Dickwella, Chamika Karunaratne, Nuwan Thushara and Binura Fernando are among the experienced cricketers who are placed in the team for the prestigious title race. As the seniors, they will have to carry extra responsibilities on the field, while the young and energetic players will add extra flair to their performance throughout their run in the event.
Among the notable young talents, there are Lasith Croospulle, Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando and Ashen Bandara, while the wicketkeeping job will be on Niroshan Dickwella. For the spin bowling department, SLC has selected Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha and Tharindu Ratnayake as their key players.
As one of the top-seeded teams in the event, Sri Lanka will start their campaign from the quarter-finals stage. SLC, in its official press release, mentioned that the team is scheduled to leave for Japan on September 24. They will play their first match in the 2026 Asian Games on September 29.
The main set of the Sri Lankan squad is currently in England
Currently, the top talents of the Island nation are in England for a multi-format series against the England national cricket team. So far in the series, the Lankans did very little to impress the audience. They travelled to England after being defeated by India in a two-match Test series by 1-0 and then, against England in a three-match T20I series, they went down by a 3-0 scoreline.
The bilateral series between these two nations will come to an end officially on Sunday, September 27, with the third match of the ongoing three-match ODI series. So far, the batting part of the Asian team has looked very fragile against the England pace bowlers. Through the ODI series, the away team will have the opportunity to showcase their true skills and potential.
Sri Lanka women's team reached the 2026 Asian Games Final
On the other side, in the women's cricket segment in the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, the women's cricket team of the island nation performed impressively as they reached the final of the competition. However, they fell short in the final as the Indian women's national cricket team,m led by Harmanpreet Ka, ur claimed the medals as the winning side.
Sri Lanka's full squad for the 2026 Asian Games:
Lasith Croospulle, Niroshan Dickwella (wicketkeeper), Sineth Jayawardena, Nuwanidu Fernando, Sahan Arachchige (captain), Sohan de Livera, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Tharindu Ratnayake, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushan Hemantha, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando, Garuka Sanketh.
