SL vs NED: Sri Lanka's (SL) Predicted Playing XI Against Netherlands (NED)- ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Match 12

Sri Lanka have made a blistering start to their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. They have won both their first two games in the qualifying round and are currently sitting comfortably at the top of the table in Group A.

Sri Lanka began their campaign with a 4-wicket win over Namibia before beating Ireland by 70 runs on Wednesday. Ahead of their last game against Namibia, they would be keen to continue their winning momentum and head into the Super 12s with confidence.

In this article, here’s a look at our predicted Sri Lanka’s playing XI against the Netherlands scheduled on Friday.

SL vs NED: Sri Lanka’s (SL) Predicted Playing XI Against Netherlands (NED)- ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Match 12

Openers: Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera   

Playing only his eighth T20 international, Pathum Nissanka scored a match-winning 61 off 47 balls against Ireland in Sri Lanka’s second match. He stitched a sensational 123-run partnership with Hasaranga to lead the team’s recovery and guide the side to a par score.

His partner, Kusal Perera got out on the very first ball in the same match. Perera is an integral member of the team and has a lot of potential. The next game against the Netherlands could be an ideal opportunity for him to get back amongst the runs.

Middle-order: Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, and B Rajapaksa

Senior player, Dinesh Chandimal is yet to make a valuable contribution in the tournament. In the two matches, he has only managed to score 11 runs. However, given the amount of experience he has, he is likely to be retained in the team.

Avishka Fernando has moved to number four in the line-up. He played a crucial 30-run knock to guide his team to a seven-wicket win in the first game against Namibia. B Rajapaksa gave him ideal support in the same match.

The duo was involved in a 74-run unbeaten partnership. Rajapaksa remained unbeaten on 42 off 27 balls. The last game, however, saw him getting out for just 1 run off 3 balls.

All-rounders: W Hasaranga, Shanaka, and Karunaratne

W Hasaranga played one of his best T20 knocks in the last game against Ireland. Coming in at number five with the team reeling at 8 for 3, Hasaranga shared a 123-run partnership with Nissanka. He scored 71 runs off just 47 balls, including 10 fours and 1 six.

He has continued to be effective with the ball. The last game saw him giving away only 12 runs for 1 wicket in his four overs. Dasun Shanaka played a crucial 11-ball 21-run cameo against Ireland, while Karunaratne has been pretty effective with the ball. The last game saw him picking 2 wickets for 27 runs in 3.3 overs.

Bowlers: M Theekshana, Chameera and Lahiru Kumara

Chameera and Lahiru Kumara should share the fast bowling duties. Both have complemented each other admirably so far. Chameera picked 1 for 16 in the last game, while Kumara returned with figures of 2 for 22 in his four-over quota.

Mystery spinner, M Theekshana has been the wicket-taker in chief. He picked a three-for in the first game and followed it up with another three-wicket haul against Ireland.