ODI World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka’s strongest predicted playing XI for the tournament

The Sri Lankan (SL) team will be eager to do well in the ICC World Cup 2023 which begins in India. The tournament will start on October 5, 2023, with England taking on New Zealand in the opening encounter. The final will be played on November 19.

A total of 10 teams will be playing in the round-robin format in a total of 48 matches across 10 venues in India. It will be the first time India will be the solo host of the World Cup tournament, after having hosted the tournament in partnership with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 1987, 1996 and 2011.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan team will be one of the underdogs going into the World Cup given the injury setbacks they suffered ahead of the tournament. The 1996 World Cup winners will be without two of the premier bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera in this tournament. Hasaranga is out due to a grade three tear in the hamstring, while Chameera is suffering from a shoulder injury. This meant that the Lankan Lions had to make a few tweaks in their squad for the World Cup 2023.

In the same vein, here's Sri Lanka’s strongest predicted playing XI for ODI World Cup 2023:

1. Kusal Perera

The experienced Kusal Perera returned to the Sri Lankan side after a brief hiatus and showed his aggressive intent in the Asia Cup 2023. Though he didn’t get many runs, Sri Lanka will be more than happy to have him at the top of the batting order. His aggressive style of play is perfect in powerplay overs. He is equally devastating against spin and pace.

Perera has played 109 ODIs for Sri Lanka since his debut in 2013. He has scored 3088 runs at an average of 31.19 and a strike rate of 92.51. He has made 6 centuries and 15 fifties with a highest score of 135.