The T20 World Cup 2026 is less than 10 days away. 20 teams will participate in the prestigious tournament for the first time, with India and Sri Lanka as the two hosts. 8 venues will host these teams, and guarentee the entertainment that fan deserves. Among the selected venues, Sri Lanka have three, and Pallekele Stadium in Kandy is one of them.
The Pallekele Stadium will host seven crucial matches including three super-six matches. The surface will help the batters and the fan can expect a high scoring games. The pitch won't be as easy as the ones in India. Therefore, it will be fun to see T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Kandy.
Meanwhile, this article will shed light on how many matches will take place at the venue, the teams that will compete here, and the kind of pitches the teams can expect in the World Cup.
T20 World Cup 2026 matches at Pallekele Stadium
Matches
Date
Sri Lanka vs Oman
February 12
Sri Lanka vs Australia
February 16
Ireland vs Zimbabwe
February 17
Australia vs Oman
February 20
Y1 vs Y4
February 22
Y1 vs Y3
February 24
Y3 vs Y4
February 28
Out of the seven matches, Pallekele Stadium will host three matches in the super 8 stages which is from the February 22-28 window.
Sri Lanka have played 21 T20Is at the Pallekele Stadium and won just 10 matches. Therefore, the stadium is not the most optimistic venues for the hosts as they have a lot to prove in Kandy.
Australia have played four T20is at this venue and emerged victorious in just a solitary game. Therefore, they will be worried as well
Meanwhile, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman have never played a single game at the Pallekele Stadium in Sri Lanka.
Pallekele Stadium T20I record
Criterion
Data
Matches
27
Matches won batting first
15
Matches won batting second
11
Average first innings score
162
Highest team total
178/2 (Pakistan)
(Data by Howstat)
27 T20Is have been hosted by the iconic Pallekele Stadium. 15 times the team batting first have clinced the match, while, the team, batting first have only emerged victorious on 11 occasions. Therefore, chasing is difficult at this venue and the teams prefer to bat first at this venue.
The average first innings score is 162, while the highest total chased here is 178/2 by Pakistan. Therefore, a team that puts 180+ total in the first innings should be happy with their effort.
How the pitch at the Pallekele stadium will play out?
As the data presented above mentioned that the teams find it difficult to chase totals at this venue. Therefore, it is better to bat first in Kandy. Statistically, fast bowlers have been more successful than the spinners in Pallekele.
Unlike Indian pitches, the Pallekele Stadium will offer a balanced surface for both batters and the bowlers. The batters can play their shots but need to respect the first few overs as the ball with swing and there are chances that the pacers that too of Arshdeep Singh's caliber might strike early on.
Spinners won't trouble much, but it also doesn't mean that they won't be a threat to the batters. Hence, the fans will have a great time and the surface will offer no signs of a flat track.
Pallekele Stadium in Sri Lanka - (Source: X.com)
