Table of Contents
The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 is just a few weeks away as the teams gear up for the mega event. This year, it is scheduled to take place in England and Wales, as the Sri Lanka Women’s team have announced its squad for the upcoming major tournament. It is going to be a huge event after the rise of women’s cricket.
Sri Lanka squad was announced on Friday evening, as Chamari Athapaththu will be leading the side, as she has been the only player for the nation to have represented all the 9 editions previously. This is a huge honour for the opener to lead the side in the tournament like the World Cup in the SENA country.
Sri Lanka to play England in the opener
They will depart for England on 3 June 2026 ahead of the competition, which is scheduled to be held from 12 June to 5 July. The Lankan side will be featuring in two warm-up matches against Pakistan on 6th June and the Netherlands on 9th June in Derby. Before eventually taking on the host England on 12th June at the iconic Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham.
Chamari Athapaththu's side have been added to Group 2 alongside England, New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland, and Scotland. They have some strong opponents in the form of England, the Kiwis, and the Windies; the journey will not be easy for the Sri Lanka side, and they would look to fight and get some results.
The Lankan side has been good form
The Lankan side have competed in every Women's Twenty20 World Cup, but has never advanced past the first round. In 2023, Sri Lanka won their first series against England in England. Their historic 2-1 triumph was their first bilateral T20I series loss against a team other than Australia since a 2-1 setback to New Zealand in 2010.
They won the 2024 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup for the first time, defeating India in the final by eight wickets after chasing a target of 166 with eight balls to spare in front of a home crowd in 2024. They would be looking to go past the first round and qualify for their first semi-final, as their recent past months have been good, winning two back-to-back T20i series.
In the last series against the Bangladesh Women's team, Chamari Athapaththu's side clean swept them, winning it 3-0. This would give them a wave of confidence ahead of the major tournament. Before that, they defeated the dangerous West Indies side, winning it 2-0 in a three-match series, with the first match being washed out.
Chamari Athapaththu to lead the Lankan side
View this post on Instagram
Imesha Dulani, Hansima Karunarathne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara and Mithali Ayodhya will be travelling for their first Women's T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kaveesha Dilhari, Hansima Karunarathne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Nimasha Madushani, Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya
Also Read: GT vs RR Impact Players Today: Toss Report, Playing XIs, Latest Updates IPL 2026 Qualifier 2
