T20 World Cup 2022: Sri Lanka vs Ireland match preview, playing XI, Head to Head, Where to Watch on TV, & Live Streaming Details for T20 WC

After suffering a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Namibia in their very first match of the tournament, Sri Lanka showed enough resilience to qualify for the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup.

The team defeated the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands in their other fixtures to qualify as the league leaders of their group in First Round of the mega tournament. Ireland, on the other hand, are coming into the fixture after a massive win over the two-time champions the West Indies in their previous match.

Just like Sri Lanka, they suffered defeat in their very first match of the tournament against Zimbabwe but managed to win two games on the trot to qualify for the Super 12.

The two teams will lock horns on October 23 at Bellerive Oval in Hobart - a stadium where Ireland played all their First Round fixtures. Thus, they are accustomed to the conditions more than Sri Lanka.

Their batters looked in great shape and totally in control against the West Indies and Scotland and that will give them the much-needed confidence going ahead. Now, even though there is a lot of room for improvement in their bowling, the team did well in their last match and if they can carry forward the same momentum, they can very well cause another upset in the ongoing T20 World Cup.

Now coming to Sri Lanka, Dasun Shanaka and company haven’t played their best cricket yet. The Asian champions struggled to beat the Netherlands in their last match and their middle order is yet to come to the party.

Against a relatively weak bowling attack of the UAE, their middle order fell like a house of cards and that’s an area they immediately need to address in order to taste success. Spin bowling is their strength and currently, Wanindu Hasaranga with seven wickets is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

He’ll once again be Sri Lanka’s go-to bowler in pressure situations but others need to step up as well. Pathum Nissanka (97 runs in three matches) and Kusal Mendis (103 runs in three matches) have shown their class so far with the bat. Once again, finishing games remains a huge concern for the team.

Pitch Conditions

The pitch at Bellerive Oval has been great for batting so far. The pacers can make the ball talk at the start of the innings but post that, it’s a batters' game. The team winning the toss will look forward to bowling first and restricting the opponent below 160 runs.

Playing Combinations for SL vs IRE

Sri Lanka

Despite multiple injuries, the Sri Lanka haven't faced much of a challenge so far in the tournament. They have a set team and after two back-to-back wins, there’s no reason for them to make any change to their already settled squad.

Predicted Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando

Ireland

After their massive win over the West Indies, Andrew Balbirnie will be much more relaxed heading into the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup. Like Sri Lanka, Ireland are highly unlikely to make any changes to their squad.

Predicted Playing XI: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie (c), Lorcan Tucker (w), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Simi Singh, Barry McCarthy, Joshua Little

SL vs IRE Head-to-Head

Played- 02 | Sri Lanka- 02| Ireland - 00

SL vs IRE Broadcast Details

Match Timings- 9:30 AM IST

TV- Star Sports

Streaming- Disney+ Hotstar