Sri Lanka star and former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowler Wanindu Hasaranga has become the country’s most successful bowler in the history of the T20 World Cup. The spinner achieved this milestone in the 6th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against Ireland.

The veteran Sri Lankan spinner now has the most wickets in the prestigious tournament. The only player ahead of him is Shakib Al Hassan of Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka ease past Ireland

As a co-host of this year’s T20 World Cup, the island nation is one of the favorites to advance to the semi-finals. However, they still have a long road ahead of them to secure their ticket to the Final Four. They started their campaign on a strong note against Ireland.

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The Irish team tried their best to challenge Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. In fact, Ireland bowled very well at the home ground of the Sri Lankan national cricket team. The Irish cricketers were not used to the subcontinent’s conditions but their bowlers still performed well to restrict Sri Lanka to 163. To get a corresponding total, the island nation must lose six batsmen.

Sri Lanka vs Ireland T20 2026 World Cup Match Summary

Kusal Mendis was Sri Lanka’s most successful batsman with an unbeaten 56 runs, while Kamindu Mendis provided good support with a storming 44 runs off 19 balls at the end of the innings. The Irish bowlers were on top of the match until Kamindu’s attacking strike. Barry McCarthy and George Dockrell each scored twice for Ireland.

Ireland’s batting was mediocre. In other words, the Sri Lankan bowlers did not allow them to bat freely. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana made good use of the surface. The spin duo picked 6 wickets in total. Hasaranga set a new record with three game-winning 3-pointers.

Against Sri Lanka’s 163 runs, Ireland managed just 143 runs in exchange for all 10 wickets. Sri Lanka leads by 20 runs in the first match of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Wanindu Hasalanga’s record

Hasaranga claimed the scalps of opener Ross Adair, Ireland third-order batsman Harry Turcotte and middle-order batsman Curtis Kamfer. The Lankan spinner struck three times in his four overs with an economy rate of 6.25. Wanindu Hasaranga has 40 wickets, the second most individual wickets in the T20 World Cup. The 28-year-old also surpassed Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga’s record.

T20 WC Most wickets in history:

50 – Shakib Al Hassan

40-Wanindu Hasalanga*

39 – Shahid Afridi

38 – Lasith Malinga/Rashid Khan

Sri Lanka will next play Oman on February 12 before taking on Australia and Zimbabwe at the same time.

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