Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Sri Lanka to get floodlights to host T20 World Cup 2026 matches

The Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo is set to be upgraded ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. The venue will get floodlight for the first time to host the matches in the mega event. More often, the SSC Ground has hosted daytime limited-overs internationals, especially women's games, while the day-night matches have generally been played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

However, this will change in the upcoming World Cup as the first match of the tournament at the venue, Oman vs Zimbabwe, is scheduled to start at 3 PM. SSC is set to host five matches at the T20 World Cup 2026 including the tournament opener between Pakistan and the Netherlands, which will commence at 11 AM.

The Pakistan vs USA clash on February 10 is the only



evening game at the venue in the mega event, while the other two matches are Ireland vs Oman and Pakistan vs Namibia. On the other hand, the R Premadasa Stadium will host at least eight matches and possibly the first semi-final and final if Pakistan qualify. The third venue, Pallekele, is also scheduled to host seven matches of the T20 World Cup 2026.

According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the construction of the floodlights is already underway at the SSC Ground. Moreover, this development will also open up a possibility of day-night Tests happening in Sri Lanka. SSC and P Sara Oval in Colombo are preferred for Test matches. Sri Lanka have never hosted a day-night Test match despite their Test captains asking the board to arrange such a fixture over the years.