Floodlights at SSC will be completed by January 15 – SLC confirms
Sri Lanka will co-host the tournament with India from February. SSC has been named alongside the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium as the three Sri Lankan venues for the event. SSC will stage five matches, beginning with the Group B fixture between the Netherlands and Pakistan on February 7, which is scheduled to start at 11:00am.
Construction underway at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, which will become Colombo’s third cricket venue to hold day-night games
Six floodlight towers are being installed at a cost of Rs. 1.8 billion. The project is funded entirely by SLC as part of its ongoing support for member club infrastructure. SLC CEO Ashley de Silva said work is progressing according to plan.
“We are on schedule,” de Silva said.
“They have promised to complete the work by January 15, 2026.”
In addition to the new lighting system, SSC is carrying out several improvements, including renovations to the main pavilion and the relocation of the broadcasting facility.
Pakistan will feature prominently at the venue, playing three of their four first-round fixtures at SSC, including the first match of the Sri Lankan leg of the tournament against the Netherlands on February 7. The only day-night match at the venue, Pakistan versus USA, will also be held at SSC. The first fixture that will require the new floodlights is the Oman versus Zimbabwe match on February 9, starting at 3:00pm.
SSC currently accommodates approximately 10,000 spectators, including those on the grass embankments. Officials do not expect crowding issues during the tournament, as Sri Lanka will not play any of their group-stage games at the ground.
With this upgrade, Colombo will have three fully lit cricket venues. SSC 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 important roles when Sri Lanka hosts the 2027 ICC Women’s Champions Trophy.
SSC has long been a prominent international venue. It has hosted Test cricket since 1984 and ODI cricket since 1982. The ground featured during the 1996 Cricket World Cup and staged the final of the 2000 Under-19 World Cup. In recent years it has been used mainly for Test cricket. Officials believe the addition of floodlights will restore SSC as a regular venue for limited-overs cricket.