The Sri Lankan Cricket Association has officially presented the second men's squad to participate in the 2026 Asian Games. The leadership was tasked with forming the team that will represent the country at the upcoming tournament.
The squad includes 30-year-old San Arachchige, who has been appointed as captain. He is expected to return to the leadership of the Sri Lankan T20I team in approximately three years. Previously, Arachchige led the team at the 2023 Asian Games, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after losing to Afghanistan. After this tournament, Arachchige did not play in any T20I matches for Sri Lanka.
In the squad for the matches against England in the current T20I series, only two players are present—Tarindu Rathnayake and Nuwan Thushara. Additionally, Binura Fernando, who was previously absent due to injury in the T20I series against England, is also preparing to return to play. Experienced players Chamika Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickve are also included; the latter played his previous T20I match against England in June 2021.
The new squad features four players who have not yet debuted internationally: Sineth Jayawardene, Sohan Di Levera, Wanuja Sahan, and Garuka Singhate. According to information from Sri Lanka Cricket, the Sri Lankan team will travel to Japan on September 24, 2026.
The main reason for selecting a second team is that the leading Sri Lankan cricketers are currently participating in the ODI series in England. The final match of this series is scheduled for September 27 at the Kennington Oval stadium in London. Furthermore, Sri Lanka has qualified directly for the Asian Games quarterfinals, which will take place on September 29. Although Sri Lanka could have used its second team in the last ODI match against England, the decision was made to send a separate squad for the Asian Games.
It is also worth noting the achievements of the Sri Lankan women's team, which reached the final of the 2026 Asian Games. However, the team under the leadership of Chamari Atapattu lost to India in the final with a score of 147 runs, securing the silver medal. It is also worth mentioning that the Sri Lankan men's team won the gold medal at the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, more than ten years ago. To date, men's cricket has participated in three editions of the Asian Games—2010, 2014, and 2023; the inclusion of 2026 will make it the fourth.