With less than two months remaining before the men’s T20 World Cup. Sri Lanka has made a significant leadership change by reinstating Dasun Shanaka as captain, replacing Charith Asalanka. The timing of the decision has raised eyebrows, given how close the global tournament is. But Sri Lanka Cricket appears to have opted for experience over continuity.
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Shanaka returns as the country’s most seasoned T20I captain. Since taking over the role full-time from Lasith Malinga in 2021, he has led Sri Lanka in 53 T20 internationals. By comparison, Dinesh Chandimal and Charith Asalanka, the next most experienced captains in the format, have led the side in 26 and 25 matches respectively.
Notably, Shanaka had already captained Sri Lanka for five months before Asalanka even made his T20I debut. Underlining the gap in leadership experience between the two. Asalanka assumed the T20 captaincy on a full-time basis after the 2024 T20 World Cup. Following Wanindu Hasaranga’s decision to step down just six months into his tenure.
In the same month, Asalanka was also appointed Sri Lanka’s ODI captain, making him a central figure in the team’s leadership structure across formats. Results under Asalanka were mixed. During his time as full-time T20 captain, Sri Lanka won 10 matches, lost 11, and tied two.
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T20 World Cup 2026: Asalanka’s Dip in Form Adds to Captaincy Pressure
The team suffered a series of defeats against India, New Zealand, and Bangladesh, and also failed to reach the final of the 2025 Asia Cup. While these outcomes were not disastrous, they did little to cement confidence ahead of a major world event.
More concerning was Asalanka’s individual form during this period. Across 21 T20 innings, he averaged just 16.44, striking at 124.89, with only one half-century. That dip in performance may have contributed to the decision to make a change. Although doing so close to a World Cup remains a bold and somewhat risky move.
Speculation about Asalanka’s position had been building for months. In November, Shanaka was named vice-captain, a move widely interpreted as a sign that he was being eased back into the leadership group. At the time, however, the chairman of selectors Upul Tharanga downplayed suggestions of an imminent change.
He said the selectors needed to carefully weigh their options and stressed that with a World Cup approaching, sweeping changes were unlikely. The situation became more complicated later that month.
When Asalanka returned home from the Pakistan tri-series, along with Asitha Fernando. This coincided with reports that some players were eager to leave Pakistan following a bomb blast in Islamabad, fuelling further speculation about internal unrest.
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T20 World Cup Final: Leadership Switch Comes Under New Committee
Sri Lanka Cricket, however, maintained that Asalanka’s return was due to illness. Stating that the decision was purely precautionary to allow him time to recover ahead of future assignments. This came shortly after Sri Lanka Cricket had issued a firm directive warning players and staff not to leave without permission.
Stating that any unauthorised return would result in a formal review and possible action. In Asalanka’s absence, Shanaka stepped in as stand-in captain, further intensifying rumours about a permanent leadership change.
Tharanga later reiterated that Asalanka was still considered the captain in Sri Lanka’s plans, attributing the temporary switch solely to illness. He insisted that no final decision had been made and that Asalanka was originally intended to lead the team at the World Cup.
Despite those assurances, Sri Lanka Cricket announced a few weeks later that Shanaka would take over. As captain at least until the end of the T20 World Cup. By then, the selection committee’s term had expired, and a new panel was in place.
The new chief selector, Pramodya Wickramasinghe, said the decision was made after discussions with head coach Sanath Jayasuriya. While retaining the same 25-member preliminary squad chosen by the previous committee. Shanaka’s earlier stint as captain included Sri Lanka’s triumph at the 2022 Asia Cup.
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