Left-arm spinner-bat Dunith Wellalage will lead Sri Lanka A at the ACC Rising Stars T20 tournament, which starts in Doha on 14 November. The 22-year-old already has 38 caps for the senior side across formats and, selectors hope, gives a touch of top-level know-how to what is otherwise an emerging group.
Also on the flight are wicketkeeper-opener Nishan Madushka, fellow top-order batter Nuwanidu Fernando, seam-bowling all-rounder Milan Rathnayake and right-arm quick Pramod Madushan. All five have featured for the national team during the past two years, though none have yet nailed down a permanent place.
Leg-spinners Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Sahan Arachchige provide the wrist-spin options, while off-spinner-bat Ramesh Mendis returns after a quiet spell since his last Test in February. Twenty-year-old Vishen Halambage, still uncapped at senior level but talked up by coaches, finds a spot too.
In a brief release, Sri Lanka Cricket called the competition “an ideal platform to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket”, adding that form in Doha will be factored into next year’s senior selections.
Group fixtures see Sri Lanka A take on Afghanistan A (15 Nov), Hong Kong (17 Nov) and Bangladesh A (19 Nov). The top two progress to the semi-finals on 21 November, with the final set for 23 November. Group B contains India A, Oman, Pakistan A and UAE.
Schedule – Group A (all dates November)
15: Afghanistan A v Sri Lanka A
17: Hong Kong v Sri Lanka A
19: Bangladesh A v Sri Lanka A
Sri Lanka A squad
Dunith Wellalage (capt)
Vishen Halambage
Nishan Madushka (wk)
Nuwanidu Fernando
Lasith Croospulle
Ramesh Mendis
Kavindu de Livera
Sahan Arachchige
Ahan Wickramasinghe
Pramod Madushan
Garuka Sanketh
Isitha Wijesundara
Milan Rathnayake
V Vijayakanth
Traveen Mathew
It is a busy month for several of these players: domestic limited-overs cricket resumes soon after the squad returns home, and white-ball specialists have been told strong numbers in Qatar will keep them in the frame for Sri Lanka’s next T20I window early in 2026.
