Sri Lanka is out of the T20 World Cup 2026 after losing to New Zealand by 61 runs. Former captain Kumar Sangakkara expressed deep disappointment over this and said that the team will have to change according to modern cricket, otherwise it will become irrelevant.
Former Sri Lankan captain and great batsman Kumar Sangakkara has expressed deep disappointment over his team’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026. New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 61 runs in the Super 8 match held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Wednesday, 25 February, after which the journey of the team captained by Dasun Shanaka came to an end. Chasing the target of 169 runs, the Sri Lankan team disintegrated under pressure and could score only 107 runs for 8 wickets in 20 overs. The condition of the host team was so bad that half the team had returned to the pavilion at 46 runs in 10.3 overs. By 15 overs the score was 77/7. With this defeat the team was out of the tournament. Earlier, Sri Lanka had also lost to England, after which the team was in danger of being eliminated.
For Sri Lanka, only Kamindu Mendis (31) and Dunith Vellalage (29) were able to put up some fight, but their efforts proved inadequate against the tight bowling of New Zealand.
‘There is only pain and anger all around’
Kumar Sangakkara could not hide his disappointment after being eliminated from the T20 World Cup after two consecutive defeats in the Super 8. He strongly criticized the team’s poor performance at this important stage. Sangakkara wrote on X (earlier Twitter) that both the players and fans are very saddened by this defeat.
Sangakkara wrote, “There is a lot of pain all around. The fans are devastated, disappointed and angry. The players are also very badly hurt. I have also been a part of such dressing rooms. It is not easy. But this responsibility is part of your job. Representing your country is both a burden and a great honour.”
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Let us tell you that since winning its last T20 World Cup in 2014, the Sri Lankan team has never been able to reach the semi-finals. This shows a long decline that followed the golden period of the team. Kumar Sangakkara was part of Sri Lanka’s golden generation, which reached four consecutive semi-finals between 2009 and 2014 and also won the title in 2014.
‘We haven’t changed ourselves’
Speaking further on Sri Lanka’s disappointing campaign, Sangakkara stressed that the team will have to adapt to the needs of modern T20 cricket. He warned that if the same mistakes were repeated then no one would question the former champion team.
The former Sri Lankan captain said, “A lot of work needs to be done to improve at every level. We cannot do the same things over and over again and expect different results while the world of cricket has changed so rapidly around us. We have not changed ourselves, and the danger is that we will become irrelevant.”
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Sri Lanka’s dream of winning the second T20 World Cup is now over, but the team would like to end its campaign with a win. Their last Super 8 match will be against Pakistan at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy on Saturday, February 28. However, now Pakistan will have to register a big win against Sri Lanka to keep their hopes of semi-finals alive. At the same time, they will also have to pray that England beats New Zealand, after which the decision on the other team going to the semi-finals along with England will be made on the basis of net run rate.