Sri Lanka Betting – T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup is just around the corner and like everyone else, Sri Lanka will be doing their best to make sure they’re the one ones walking away with the trophy.
Sri Lanka aren’t there just yet, though.
They’ll have to come through the qualifying round first but they’re favourites to do just that and be in the tournament proper.
Let’s look at Sri Lanka’s recent form, their performance in the UAE in last year’s World Cup, the squad they’ve picked, strengths and weaknesses and the players who will be key to them.
We’ll also discuss their online cricket betting odds and pick out some good tips.
Where to bet on Sri Lanka
Looking to bet on Sri Lanka? Of course, you are! Here are the betting sites in India that you can wager on them!
The SAFEST Betting Site in the World!
- Focused on cricket for the Indian market
- Fast withdrawals with rupees
- Live streaming of matches
MOST POPULAR Indian Betting Site
- Accepts Indian payment methods
- Good selection of sports
- Amazing customer support
The BEST Betting Site in India!
- Cricket & Kabaddi Betting
- Fast Paytm Withdrawals
- Local Indian Brand
Best Odds for Sri Lanka to Win
Sri Lanka are relative outsiders to win the World Cup, at odds of 17.0 with Betway.
That makes them just the eighth favourites to win it, so few are expecting them to go deep in the competition, let alone win it.
But they have a good pedigree in this tournament as one-time winners and two-time runners-up, so they’ve been there and done it before in the biggest competition of all.
The SAFEST Betting Site in the World!
- Focused on cricket for the Indian market
- Fast withdrawals with rupees
- Live streaming of matches
Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup Performance
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Super 8 Stage |
| 2009 | Runner-Up |
| 2010 | Semi-Finals |
| 2012 | Runner-Up |
| 2014 | Champions |
| 2016 | Group Stage |
| 2021 | Group Stage |
Sri Lanka’s World Cup Performance In 2021
Sri Lanka made light work of the pre-qualifying campaign, winning all three games.
They started by beating Namibia in a low chase of just 97, then getting the better of Ireland after batting first and scoring 171/7 in a brilliant all-round performance from Wanindu Hasaranga de Silva.
They finished things off in style by dismissing the Netherlands for just 44 and chasing that with ease.
And they got off to the best possible start in the Group Stages of the actual tournament, chasing a big total of 172 against Bangladesh with Charith Asalanka hitting a superb 80 off 49 and Banukha Rajapaksa also chipping in with an aggressive half-century.
They also managed to beat the West Indies in their final match but by then it was all too little, too late.
In between those two wins they lost to Australia after posting a sub-par total, the same happened against South Africa and they missed a good opportunity to beat England when they had them in trouble when fielding first.
They let them and Jos Buttler off the hook (who went on to score a superb century) after taking early wickets and though they came close in the chase, it wasn’t close enough.
So they finished fourth out of Six in Group A but it wasn’t all bad.
Hasaranga de Silva finished as the tournament’s top bowler with 16 wickets from 18 games. This helped him secure a big-money contract with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, as did middle-order batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who the Punjab Kings bought.
Sri Lanka Facts
Time for some great T20 World Cup trivia involving Sri Lanka and their players. Here are some of the best facts about them.
- Former batsman and skipper Mahela Jayawardene is the top scorer in World Cup history with 1016 runs. He’s also the only Sri Lankan to have scored a century at a T20 World Cup.
- They lost the 2012 final on home soil after failing to chase just 138 against the West indies.
- Sri Lanka have the highest winning percentage of any side at the T20 World Cup at 63.95%. Next best is India with 63.51%.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan was Player of the Tournament at the 2009 World Cup with 317 runs but he was out for a duck in the final against Pakistan.
Sri Lanka World Cup Squad
Here are the 15 that made the provisional list of players for the World Cup, plus the five who are on the standby list.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Charith Asalanka | Batsman |
| Danushka Gunathilaka | Batsman |
| Pathum Nissanka | Batsman |
| Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wk) | Batsman |
| Kusal Mendis (wk) | Wicketkeeper |
| Dasun Shanaka (c) | All Rounder |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | All Rounder |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | All Rounder |
| Chamika Karunaratne | All Rounder |
| Dushmantha Chameera | Bowler |
| Lahiru Kumara | Bowler |
| Dilshan Madushanka | Bowler |
| Maheesh Theekshana | Bowler |
| Jeffrey Vandersay | Bowler |
Standby Players:
Ashen Bandara, Praveen Jayawickrema, Dinesh Chandimal, Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando.
Sri Lanka World Cup Squad talking points
Unsurprisingly, they mostly picked the players who just won them the 2022 Asia Cup.
Fast bowlers Dumshamntha Chameera and Lahira Kamara are included but their presence at the World Cup will depend on how they recover from current injuries.
Veteran Dinesh Chandimal won’t be best pleased at only making the stand-by list after making 68 T20I appearances for his country, but he hasn’t been in good form recently, so that explains it.
A notable absentee is opening batsman and keeper Kusal Perera who has undergone shoulder surgery and won’t be fit to feature in Australia.
Veteran and former skipper Angelo Mathews also misses out after his fitness was questioned over the past couple of years.
Captain: Dasun Shanaka
Skippers come in all shapes and sizes and in the case of Shanaka, he’s the quiet and calm type who mostly just lets his players get on with the job in hand rather than trying to be the main man just for the sake of it.
An unfussy skipper when it comes to field placements and bowling changes, he’s also an important player as a lower-middle order batsman who can hit boundaries and bat with the tail, as well as a handy and wily seam bowler.
He can often get through two or three overs in the right conditions and provides himself (as skipper) with another bowling option.
Key Player: Hasaranga de Silva
Hasaranga was a Player of the Tournament as Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup, contributing with 9 wickets at an economy rate of 7.39 and playing an absolutely crucial knock of 36 off 21 in the final, before going on to take three wickets with the ball.
He was the top wicket-taker at last year’s World Cup and enjoyed a good IPL season with RCB, taking 26 wickets in 16 games and finishing as the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, just one behind Yuzvendra Chahal.
He’s currently sixth in the ICC rankings for top T20I bowler but he’s been much further up the list over the last year or so.
His four overs of aggressive leg spin with googlies and doosras will be absolutely key to his team’s chances because of how many wickets he takes, as is his ability to be extremely economical on his day.
Occasionally, he can also contribute with quick runs down the order thanks to his high boundary percentage rate.
Game-Changer: Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Rajapaksa is a man who was born to play T20 cricket.
Not patient enough or in possession of a strong enough technique for Test cricket, not fit enough to bat at high intensity with lots of running between the wickets sometimes for 30-40 overs, as is needed in ODI cricket.
No matter.
Batting at five or six, he has a superb ability to hit boundaries off both good and bad balls and plays all the unorthodox shots that are the hallmark of the best T20 players around: sweeps, reverse sweeps, scoops, flicks and slogs.
He’s also a nerveless batsman who goes for his shots regardless of the situation.
His 71 not out in the 2022 Asia Cup final turned the game on its head and won him the man-of-the-match award.
His one area of weakness is fitness and he rarely bats for more than seven or eight overs. But very often, they’re more than enough to make a big impact.
Currently has a T20I sky-high career strike rate of 140.
Sri Lanka World Cup Analysis
First of all, let’s remember that they’re not in the World Cup just yet. But they should finish Top 2 (probably alongside Namibia) in their Qualifying Group and make it through.
The problem thereon will be that their skills aren’t particularly suited to Australian conditions.
They lack the fast bowlers to take advantage of quick, bouncy wickets, with their strength when it comes to bowling lying with their spinners.
With the bat, they have aggressive players who can enjoy quick pitches and get full value for their shots.
But what they lack is players with lots of experience of Australian conditions with so many youngsters in the team.
So the smart money is on them securing at least one win as outsiders, especially if they chase.
But they’re unlikely to have the ability to win three games and book their place in the semis.
Strengths
- Hasaranga da Silva is probably alongside Rashid Khan the best T20 bowler in the world.
- Excellent at chasing.
- High on confidence from Asia Cup win.
- Lower-order batters can find boundaries when needed.
- Historically an extremely strong win record in this competition.
Weaknesses
- Very little in the way of high-class fast bowlers.
- Missing their star opening batsman in Kusal Perera, who is injured.
- Lack of experience as a team of playing in Australia.
- Generally poor results in T20Is over the past two years.
- Fielding is not always the best.
The SAFEST Betting Site in the World!
- Focused on cricket for the Indian market
- Fast withdrawals with rupees
- Live streaming of matches
MOST POPULAR Indian Betting Site
- Accepts Indian payment methods
- Good selection of sports
- Amazing customer support
The BEST Betting Site in India!
- Cricket & Kabaddi Betting
- Fast Paytm Withdrawals
- Local Indian Brand