Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed that the lighting of the Sinhala Sports Club (SSC) Stadium, one of the three venues selected to host next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, will be completed by January 15.
The tournament, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, will be held from February.
The three Sri Lankan venues for this purpose are the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and the SSC Stadium.
Five matches will be held at the SSC Stadium, starting with the Group B match between the Netherlands and Pakistan, which is scheduled to start at 11:00 AM on February 7.
Six floodlights will be installed at the stadium at a cost of Rs 1.8 billion.
The project is being fully funded by Sri Lanka Cricket.
Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva said that work is progressing as planned.
“They have promised to complete the work by January 15, 2026,” de Silva said.
In addition to the new lighting system, the SSC is also undertaking several improvements, including renovations to the main pavilion and replacement of the broadcast facilities.
The only day-night match at the venue, between Pakistan and the United States, will also be held at the SSC Stadium.
The first match that will require the new lights is the Oman vs Zimbabwe match, which will start at 3:00 PM on February 9.
The SSC Stadium currently accommodates around 10,000 spectators.
Officials do not anticipate any congestion issues during the tournament, as Sri Lanka will not be playing any of their group stage matches.
With this upgrade, Colombo will have three fully floodlit cricket grounds.
The SSC Stadium will join the R. Premadasa Stadium and the Colombo Cricket Club in meeting the requirements for hosting day-night cricket.
All three venues are expected to play a significant role when Sri Lanka hosts the 2027 ICC Women’s Champions Trophy.
The SSC Stadium has long been a prominent international venue.
The stadium has hosted Test cricket since 1984 and ODI cricket since 1982.
The stadium also hosted matches in the 1996 Cricket World Cup and the final of the 2000 Under-19 World Cup.
In recent years, it has been used primarily for Test cricket.
Officials believe that the addition of floodlights will re-establish the SSC Stadium as a regular venue for limited-overs cricket.
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