Sanath Jayasuriya announces decision to step down as Sri Lanka head coach ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Sanath Jayasuriya steps down as Sri Lanka coach: Sri Lankan coach Sanath Jayasuriya was appointed as the head coach of the Lankan side in 2024, and after a decent run with the Lankans, he has dropped a bombshell ahead of their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

Sanath Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lankan captain, was handed a full-time role as the head coach of the Men’s National Cricket Team by the SLC in October 2024; however, he had assumed the role as an interim coach since Chris Silverwood, the former coach’s departure in July.

Under Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan cricket saw a new dawn of satisfying performances across all formats of the game. Playing under him, Sri Lanka won their first ODI bilateral series against India after 27 years and then went on to register their first Test win in England in 10 years. Jayasuriya had also led them to a home Test whitewash against New Zealand.

Sanath Jayasuriya to step down as head coach of Sri Lanka after T20 World Cup

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva and coach Sanath Jayasuriya (Image Credits: Getty)

Following his successful run with the Lankan team as their interim coach, he was handed the full-time coaching role. However, after some initial success, they disappointed as they failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy in 2025 and then were thrown out of the Super-4 stages of the Asia Cup, after losing to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

After leading Sri Lanka in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, where they are the co-hosts of the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya has decided to step down as the head coach and has informed sportspavilion.lk of the same.

“Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya told sportspavilion.lk, in response to an inquiry made by us, that he has decided to step down from his position after the upcoming T20 World Cup,” sportspavilion.lk wrote in their official update.

EXCLUSIVE 🚨

Sri Lanka Men’s Cricket Team Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya told https://t.co/JHg7XAkMgm, in response to an inquiry made by us, that he has decided to step down from his position after the upcoming T20 World Cup#sportspavilionlk #danushkaaravinda #SanathJayasuriya pic.twitter.com/zTJFeBkZme

— DANUSHKA ARAVINDA (@DanuskaAravinda) January 4, 2026