Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium

The proposal for a new International Cricket Stadium at Sooriyawewa was part of the government’s programme to develop sports in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka as part of the government’s plan to transform Hambantota into the second major urban hub of Sri Lanka, away from Colombo.
The following 2011 Cricket World Cup matches were held at Hambantota International Cricket Stadium in February 2011. The first official international match was between Sri Lanka and Canada on 20 February 2011, which Sri Lanka won by 210 runs. Two matches were played at the venue during the World Cup.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium hosted three 2012 ICC World Twenty20 matches and the inaugural edition of Lanka Premier League in 2020. The curator of the ground is Ravi Dissanayake and Manager is Colonel Shanaka Ratnayake.With low coverage of international matches in very rural areas, it has come under extreme criticism and has been called a white elephant as only a few matches were held in the stadium considering the extreme costs for construction and maintenance The ministers of opposition criticize that former government has hidden the true story of actual cost for its construction. To gain revenue the Stadium is often hired out for wedding receptions, however, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed that the stadium should be used for training purposes to gain revenue.

In 2016, after the inspections by Sri Lanka Cricket, president Thilanga Sumathipala pointed out that the walls, carpets, furniture and equipment in the stadium were in a severe state of neglect and deterioration without any attempt to revive the facility to its earlier status.