Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup History from 2007 to 2024: Stats, records, milestones, and more

Sri Lanka were known to be favourites whenever they entered any major world tournament in the 2000s and 2010s. However, the same could not be said due to their decline over the past few years. When it comes to T20 World Cups, they are certainly a force to reckon with as they can surely topple the big guns on their day. They have had great runs in the T20 World Cups and have also lifted the prestigious trophy on one occasion as well.

Let's look at Sri Lanka's performance in previous T20 World Cups:

T20 World Cup Squad 2007, South Africa - Super 8s

In the inaugural edition of the tournament, the nation entered as one of the favourites to lift the trophy as they had been having a terrific year which saw them be runners-up in the ODI World Cup. 

However, it was a mediocre campaign and the fans' expectations could not be fulfilled as Sri Lanka got eliminated in the Super 8s. They won their two games against New Zealand and Kenya during the group stages and advanced to the final eight. However, they were thumped by Pakistan and Australia in the next round and despite a win against Bangladesh, they finished third in Group B of the Super 8s.

T20 World Cup Squad 2009, England - Runners Up 

In the second version of the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka started off on the right foot and despite being placed in the 'Group of Death' along with West Indies and Australia they managed to top it with two splendid victories. In the Super 8s as well they seemed to be unstoppable as they breezed past their opponents without much difficulty. They managed to top that group as well ahead of Pakistan, New Zealand and Ireland.

They faced their group-stage opponents West Indies in the semi-finals and streamed past them into the final to face Pakistan. However, their invincible run came to a tragic end as they made a low score in the final and Pakistan chased it down with ease to clinch the title.

T20 World Cup Squad 2010, West Indies - Semi-finals

Next year, the International Cricket Council (ICC) scheduled another T20 World Cup in the West Indies. However, Sri Lanka had a decent campaign this time but once again missed out on lifting the coveted title.

They had a mediocre start as they lost to New Zealand in the group stage but a win over Kenya ensured their qualification to the Super 8s. They picked up some form in that round as they clinched victories over India and West Indies but still lost to table toppers Australia. The Asian giants then faced England in the first semi-final but once again a poor score in the first innings meant that they were not able to qualify for the final and lost to eventual winners England.

T20 World Cup Squad 2012, Sri Lanka - Runners Up

For the very first time, an Asian team got the chance to host the T20 World Cup and it was none other than Sri Lanka. The fans' expectations were at an all-time high since they had a home advantage in the tournament. They qualified from the group stage despite suffering defeat to South Africa but a win against Zimbabwe ensured them of their qualification. 

In the Super 8s, they were dominant as they got three wins from three games and were looking set to win the tournament this time around. They won against Pakistan in the first semi-final and the stage was set for them to lift the trophy. The final was against the mighty West Indies and despite restricting them to a low score, the Asian giants were not able to chase the total down and lost the final on home soil.

T20 World Cup Squad 2014, Bangladesh - Champions

In 2014, Bangladesh were the hosts for the fifth edition of the T20 World Cup and Sri Lanka had already qualified for the second round due to their higher ranking in the world rankings. They finished at the top of their group after three wins from their four games and advanced to the semi-finals. 

Sri Lanka faced West Indies once again in a repeat of the last edition's final but this time they managed to win the tie and qualify for the final. They faced their neighbours India in the final with an in-form Virat Kohli in their team but the golden generation of Sri Lanka were no match for the opposition as they chased down the total and clinched their first-ever T20 World Cup trophy in Mirpur, Bangladesh.

T20 World Cup Squad 2016, India - Super 10s

Defending champions Sri Lanka entered the 2016 T20 World Cup with a lot of confidence hoping to retain their crown. Neighbours India hosted the tournament but it ended up being one of the worst campaigns for the Sri Lankan team in any of the T20 World Cups. 

They had already advanced to the second round because of being the defending champions. However, their group had some of the strongest teams notably West Indies, England, South Africa and Afghanistan. Sri Lanka were not able to retain their title as they could not get out of the group stage. They just won a sole game in the tournament and finished second last in their group.

T20 World Cup Squad 2021, UAE/India - Super 12s

For the very first time, Sri Lanka had to play in the qualifiers of the tournament to advance to the second round. They dominated the first round as they topped their group after wins against Namibia, Netherlands and Ireland.

But their campaign ended shortly afterwards as they could not get out of their group in the second round. Despite getting wins against defending champions West Indies and Bangladesh, they finished only fourth. They lost matches against the big teams notably England, Australia and South Africa which meant that they could not finish in the top two and got knocked out of the tournament.

T20 World Cup Squad 2022, Australia - Super 12s

In the 2022 edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia, the Asian giants once again had to compete in the qualifiers. They went undefeated as they won three consecutive games to qualify for the second round. They were playing some great cricket and expectations were high of a great T20 World Cup campaign down under.

However, once again it turned out to be the same story of early elimination for the Asian powerhouses. They could not get wins against Australia, England and New Zealand which meant that there was very less chance of qualification. But even though they were victorious against Afghanistan and Ireland, they finished fourth in the group and ultimately got knocked out of the competition.

2024 T20 World Cup Squad for Sri Lanka:

Squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dilshan Madushanka