Sri Lanka Name 15-Man T20I Squad for Pakistan Tour, Kusal Mendis Captain

Sri Lanka Cricket has named a 15-man squad for the three T20Is in Pakistan, with Kusal Mendis as captain. Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka and Wanindu Hasaranga are not in it. The team leaves for Pakistan on 4 October, and the matches are in Rawalpindi on 9, 11 and 13 October.

We read the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) media release dated 2 October 2026 on the board's own website. It lists the players and the dates, and nothing else. It gives no reasons for any change and names no vice-captain.

We then set the new Sri Lanka T20I squad against the one SLC picked for its tour of England in September. Five players from that list are missing. Four new names have come in, and three of them were with Sri Lanka at the Asian Games in Japan.

Kusal Mendis captains a 15-man Sri Lanka T20I squad

Kusal Mendis leads Sri Lanka's 15-man T20I squad for the Pakistan tour. SLC's selectors named the squad on 2 October. Dushmantha Chameera is in the list "subject to fitness", so his place depends on a fitness check before the series.

Here is the full list in the order SLC printed it. The second column shows whether the same player was in the T20I squad SLC named for England on 2 September.

The captain is the biggest return. On 4 September, SLC said Kusal Mendis would miss the England T20Is with a right hamstring injury from the Lanka Premier League. Binura Fernando missed them too, with a back injury. Both are now back in the Pakistan squad.

That is good news for Sri Lanka. A side that lost its captain for one tour gets him back for the next.

Nissanka, Asalanka and Hasaranga are left out

Five players from Sri Lanka's England T20I squad are not in the Pakistan squad: Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Janith Liyanage and Tharindu Rathnayake. SLC's release does not say whether they were dropped, rested or injured.

Asalanka is the name that stands out most. SLC named him vice-captain for England, and he took over as T20I captain there when Kusal Mendis was injured. A month later, he is not in the squad at all.

Hasaranga and Nissanka were also in both of Sri Lanka's September squads, ODI and T20I. Rumours about why will spread fast on social media. We are not repeating any of them. Until SLC gives a reason, the only fact is that the five names are missing.

There is a practical point for Pakistan fans, too. If you bought a ticket hoping to see Hasaranga bowl in Rawalpindi, he will not be there for the T20Is. SLC has not yet named its squad for the ODI tri-series that follows.

Five players come from Sri Lanka's Asian Games squad

Five players in the Pakistan squad were also in Sri Lanka's 15-man squad for the Asian Games in Japan. They are Sineth Jayawardena, Sahan Arachchige, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Nuwan Thushara and Binura Fernando. SLC's Asian Games graphic named Arachchige as captain there.

Jayawardena, Arachchige and Viyaskanth were not in the England T20I squad, so all three are new for this tour. The fourth new name, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, was in neither the England list nor the Asian Games list.

The timing is tight. SLC's graphic gives the Asian Games cricket as 24 September to 3 October, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The Pakistan squad leaves on 4 October. So these players will go from one tour almost straight into the next.

Sri Lanka play three T20Is in Rawalpindi from 9 October

Sri Lanka play three T20Is at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday 9, Sunday 11 and Tuesday 13 October 2026. Then comes an ODI tri-series with England from 18 to 31 October, and two Tests from 9 November. PCB has not published start times.

Both boards agree on the dates. SLC's release gives the same three T20I dates, the tri-series window and the Test start. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has the same fixtures on its own site.

• 4 October: Sri Lanka leave for Pakistan.
• 9, 11 and 13 October: three T20Is in Rawalpindi.
• 18 to 31 October: the ODI tri-series with England, in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
• 9 to 13 November: first Test, Rawalpindi.
• 17 to 21 November: second Test, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

The start time is still the open question. Reports differ between 7:30 pm and 8 pm PKT, and PCB has confirmed neither. The full Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 schedule will change once PCB does. If you plan to stay home, the TV and app options to watch Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 live are also still waiting on a PCB announcement.

Tickets for the Rawalpindi T20Is go on sale today at 3 pm

PCB opens online ticket sales for the three T20Is at 3 pm today, Saturday 3 October, at pcb.tcs.com.pk. General seats cost Rs 300 for the first two games, Rs 200 for the third. TCS Express Centres start selling from 3 pm on Monday 5 October.

PCB set these dates and prices in a media release dated 1 October. The dearest seat, the Platinum Box, costs Rs 25,000 for the first two matches. The full list of PCB ticket prices for the Sri Lanka T20Is covers every enclosure.

1. Type pcb.tcs.com.pk into your browser yourself after 3 pm today. Do not use a link sent in a chat.
2. Pick the match: 9, 11 or 13 October.
3. Choose your enclosure and the number of seats.
4. Pay online and save the confirmation on your phone.
5. If you want to pay cash, go to a TCS Express Centre from 3 pm on 5 October. PCB says it will share the list of centres later.

PCB's release does not say how many tickets one person can buy, or what ID the gate will ask for. Carry your original CNIC anyway. And ignore anyone selling "early" tickets before 3 pm. PCB has named only its own site and TCS centres.

Common questions

Who is Sri Lanka's captain for the T20Is in Pakistan?

Kusal Mendis. SLC named him captain in its 2 October release. He missed the England T20Is in September with a hamstring injury.

How many players are in Sri Lanka's T20I squad for Pakistan?

Fifteen. Dushmantha Chameera is included "subject to fitness", so the number fit to play may change before 9 October.

Is Wanindu Hasaranga playing in the Pakistan T20Is?

No. He is not in the squad. Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage and Tharindu Rathnayake are also missing. SLC gave no reason.

When does Sri Lanka arrive in Pakistan?

SLC says the squad leaves for Pakistan on 4 October. PCB announced the same arrival date in August.

Where are the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20Is played?

All three are at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, on 9, 11 and 13 October 2026.

Has Pakistan named its T20I squad?

Not when we checked early on 3 October. PCB's latest releases had nothing on a squad for this series.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 3 October 2026, about 5:40 am PKT. We read the Sri Lanka Cricket media release of 2 October 2026 for the 15 names, the captain, the fitness note on Chameera and the tour dates. We compared it with SLC's 2 September release for the England tour, read from the squad table image on that page, and SLC's 4 September release on Kusal Mendis and Binura Fernando's injuries. The Asian Games names and dates come from SLC's 22 September squad graphic. Ticket dates and prices come from PCB's release of 1 October, "Ticket sale announced for Sri Lanka series and tri-series", and the fixtures from PCB's tour page. The comparison between squads is our own.