SL vs IRE T20 World Cup Highlights: Theekshana, Hasaranga ensure Sri Lanka see off spirited Ireland in opener

Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara start the innings for Sri Lanka. Matthew Humphreys to start the proceedings for Ireland with the new ball.

The teams are out for the national anthems. It will be the national anthem of Ireland followed by Sri Lanka's.

Sri Lanka playing XI

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 playing XI

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

So, the toss has taken place. Paul Stirling, the Ireland captain has won the toss and has invited Sri Lanka to bat first.

The last time Dasun Shanak captained Sri Lanak at a T20 World Cup was 2022 - and it began with the kind of shock that still gets replayed: Sri Lanka were thumped by 55 runs by Namibia in the opener. They recovered to qualify from the first round, then in the Super 12 they won two but lost three, missing out on the semi-final race.

Ireland's best nights in ICC tournaments usually start the same way: Paul Stirling goes hard early, and suddenly the favourite is playing catch-up. He is their tone-setter at the top and their safety net when things get messy - a rare combo in T20. He also brings proven World Cup muscle memory: his unbeaten 66 against West Indies in 2022 didn't just win a game, it helped them knock the two-time champions out and pushed Ireland into the next stage.

If Sri Lanka are going to control games in Colombo, Hasaranga is the cheat code - not because he is economical, but because he creates wicket in the exact overs teams want to just get through. He is a proven tournament threat too: he finished as the leading wicket-taker at the 2021 T20 World Cup with 16 wickets, the best by any bowler in a single edition. Add his T20I body of work - 151 wickets in 94 T20Is - and you see why he is the pressure point in every match-up meeting. Against Ireland, his spell can decide whether this becomes a fight or a one-way traffic.

For all the nostalgia this venue carries, Sri Lanka's T20I record at the R Premadasa has been rougher than fans like to admit. Across 32 T20I in Colombo, they have won only eight and lost 24 - a win-loss ratio that underlines how often visiting teams have dictated terms here. Even the extremes tell a story: Sri Lanka's highest total at the ground is 214, but their lowest is 101, proof that momentum can swing hard at this venue. Today, it is a chance to flip that script against Ireland.

The R Premadasa Stadium usually rewards control more than chaos. In T20s here, teams chasing have won 35 of 55 compared to 23 wins batting first, with an average first innings score of 142. The highest total and the biggest chase are both 215/5, while the lowest defended total is 115.

Sri Lanka have had Ireland's number in T20Is so far - played 3, won 3. And the detail that stings for Ireland: every one of those meetings has come at a T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka edged a tight one by 9 runs back in 2009, then blew Ireland away by 70 runs in 2021, before making it a chase in name only with a 9-wicket win in 2022.

So yes, Ireland have upset giants in this format - but against Sri Lanka at World Cups, they are still chasing the first win.

It is hot and sticky in Colombo ahead of tonight, with cloudy conditions and around 30°C in the city right now. The forecast for today stays broadly cloudy with temperature pushing up to 32°C.

What that usually means for a night game: expect heavy humidity, a slick outfield, and plenty of dew if there is no rain interruption - chasing can become easier once the ball gets wet. If showers do roll in late, the DLS will come in and have its effect.

Ireland's best chance starts with Paul Stirling setting tempo up top and Harry Tector doing the glue job in the middle - the guy who can keep it tidy against spin and still cash in late. Lorcan Tucker is their chaos switch: one good 15-ball burst can change the momentum. With the ball, watch the left-arm pace of Josh Little and the hit-the-deck seamers Mark Adair and Barry McCarthy in the hard overs. In Colombo, their control option is spin through Matthew Humphreys and George Dockrell.

For Sri Lanka, this match and a big chunk of their campaign - starts with Pathum Nissanka setting the powerplay tempo without gifting early wickets, because the middle overs in Colombo can turn into quick sand. Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka are the bridge: if they win overs 7-15, Sri Lanka get to control the game, not chase it. With the ball, the campaign hinges on Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana squeezing and striking on a surface that rewards spin, while Matheesha Pathirana and Dusmantha Chameera own the hard overs.

Ireland have arrived with momentum on their side. Their pre-tournament in Dubai was productive - a stretch where they banked four wins in five games, including a strong showing against United Arab Emirates that underlined their powerplay intent and bowling discipline. The only catch? Colombo weather. Their only warm-up match against Pakistan was abandoned without a toss due to rain, costing them match-time just days before the opener. So the form looks encouraging, but the sharpness has to come quickly, because group-stage freebies don't exist here.

Sri Lanka's lead-in has been bumpy but useful. In the January tune-up against Pakistan, they lost the opener at Dambulla, had the second game washed out, then hit back in a rain-reduced decider to leave the three-match series shared at 1-1. The bigger alarm came days before the World Cup: a 0-3 home sweep by England on turning pitches, where batting depth and death execution were repeatedly exposed. Dasun Shanaka has the armband again, but this time he will hope to give a better show leading his team.

Two days in, and the so-called weaker sides have already turned this edition into a stress test. The Netherlands took Pakistan deep in the opener before going down by three wickets with three balls left. The USA then had India wobbling at 77/6, forcing a full-blown rescue act before a 29-run escape. Afghanistan matches New Zealand blow for blow too, piling 182/6 before losing the game by five wickets. In other words: reputation isn't winning moments here - execution is.

Ireland don't walk into World Cups hoping for a miracle - they have already live a few. They stunned Pakistan in the 2007 ODI World Cup, chased down 327 to beat England in 2011, and hunted down another 300-plus target against West Indies in 2015. Even in T20Is, they have shown they can end a giant's campaign: Ireland beat West Indies by nine wickets at the 2022 T20 World Cup and knocked the two-time champions out in the first round. That is the point tonight: if Ireland hang around, one big passage can flip the game - and history says they love that script.

Sri Lanka know better than anyone that no game is routine in a World Cup. They have been stung before - rolled for 108 while chasing 164 against Namibia in the 2022 opener - and there's an older scar too, the 2003 ODI World Cup loss to Kenya. Even outside World Cups, they flirted with disaster at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier when Netherlands had them on the mat. Ireland's job tonight is to drag Sri Lanka into that uncomfortable zone. If they do, the crowd goes quiet - and pressure starts talking back.

Ireland didn't need to run the regional-qualifier gauntlet for a sport at the 2026 T20 World Cup. They qualified directly via the ICC Men's T20I team rankings at the 30 June 2024 cut-off, which filled the remaining automatic slots after the 2024 tournament's Supe 8 teams and the two hosts were locked in.

Sri Lanka didn't need a qualifier to book their ticket for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: as co-hosts (with India), they were automatic entrants once the 20-team field was finalised. The rest of the automatic spots came from the 2024 tournament finish and the ICC T20I rankings cut-off, with the remaining teams qualifying through regional pathways.

Ireland's T20 WOrld Cup story is built on flashes of chaos and one landmark run: the Super 8s in 2009, still their best finish. They have qualified for every edition since that debut and have kept punching above their weight, including a 2022 campaign that carried them into the main Super 12 phase. Last time out in 2024, results didn't follow, with an early group-stage exit. But Ireland's identity hasn't changed: fearless powerplay intent, relentless hustle in the field, and the belief that one big over can rewrite a night. On their day, they could upset the favourites and drag matches into the chaos phase

Sri Lanka carry proper T20 World Cup pedigree. They reached the final twice before finally lifting the trophy in 2014 - beating India by six wickets in Dhaka to end the nearl tag. That stretch gave them three finals in six years, a rare level of consistency in this tournament. Since then, campaigns have swung between promise and frustration: a semi-final run in 2010, then mixed returns, including an early exit in 2024.

Sri Lanka vs Ireland, Match 6 of the T20 World Cup 2026, is set to light up Colombo tonight — and it’s the kind of group game that can quietly shape the rest of the week. Sri Lanka, playing at home at the R Premadasa Stadium, will back their spinners and expect their top order to set the tempo. Ireland, meanwhile, come in with nothing to protect and everything to chase — a dangerous combo in T20 cricket.