Pallekele International Cricket Stadium weather forecast today: What are the chances of rain during the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match?

After a lopsided outing in the Asia Cup 2023 opener, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will square off in the second match of the tournament at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on August 31. However, rain is likely to play spoilsport during Thursday's high-voltage contest.

The Lankans will miss the services of Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madhushanka, all of whom are out with injuries. Despite that, the hosts will hope to come all guns blazing and start their campaign with a win.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will draw confidence from their maiden bilateral series win over the Lankans the last time they played them. Shakib Al Hasan and Co. have picked up five members from the victorious Under-19 World Cup team and will hope to make the opportunities count.

However, fans' hopes would be dampened by the prevailing weather conditions in Pallekele. According to Accuweather, there is a fair chance of precipitation during the game. There is approximately a 40 percent probability of rain, which might ruin the game.

Moreover, there are chances of thunderstorms ahead of the match, which might delay the start of the game in Pallekele. There will be 100 percent cloud cover throughout the match.

The temperatures, meanwhile, will hover between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius. The humidity is likely to be around 95 percent, meaning, the real feeling would be a degree or two higher than the original temperature.

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"We can't stop injuries from happening" - Sri Lankan captain on missing out important players

Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka also spoke about the injuries that have plagued Sri Lanka's approach to the Asia Cup 2023 campaign.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of their first match of the tournament, Shanaka said:

"We can't stop injuries from happening. Unfortunately, it's something that's been happening to our team repeatedly. I don't think there's anything wrong in the way we train or in our effort. But I think we perform well under pressure."

"We have the team to be able to do that, particularly on the batting front. We have experienced players. I think we'll be able to go far despite that pressure," he added.

Can Sri Lanka begin their Asia Cup campaign with a win? Let us know in the comment section.