If we look at T20 World Cup 2026 as a film, then shocking scenes have been seen in it from the very beginning. But not just some scenes, but the entire film is proving to be anti-climax. After Australia’s exit from the group stage itself, now the tournament host and defending champion India is also looking forward to reaching the semi-finals. But it is not just that because a big incident has also happened in this anti-climax. Yes, the second host of the World Cup, Sri Lanka, has been out of the tournament with 2 consecutive defeats in its own home.
The Super-8 round of this World Cup being played in India and Sri Lanka gave a big blow to both the hosts. While Team India had to face a shocking defeat against South Africa in the very first match, Sri Lanka also lost its first match against England. But before the Indian team could enter for its second match, Sri Lanka was eliminated from the tournament. Sri Lanka’s journey ended with a crushing 61-run defeat in its second match against New Zealand.
In the match played in Colombo on Wednesday 25 February, the Sri Lankan team could not achieve the target of 169 runs and collapsed for only 107 runs. With its second consecutive defeat in the Super-8, its hopes of making it to the semi-finals also ended there. With this, Sri Lanka’s streak as a successful host also ended. This is the first time that the Sri Lankan team could not reach the final despite being host or co-host in an ICC tournament. About 30 years ago, Sri Lanka hosted an ICC tournament for the first time and since then it was reaching the finals.
For the first time, in the ICC World Cup 1996, Sri Lanka played the role of co-host and won that World Cup. After this, in 2002, Sri Lanka organized the Champions Trophy alone and in that it was joint winner with India. Then also in ICC World Cup 2011, she was the host along with India-Bangladesh, where the team lost after reaching the final. Similarly, in 2012, while being the host of the T20 World Cup, the team was runner-up. Now for the first time in 30 years, the team has failed to reach the finals despite being the host.