The stadium was built for the 2011 Cricket World Cup along with Hambantota International Cricket Stadium. In July 2010, The Central Provincial Council in Kandy announced plans to rename the stadium to honour the legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan,[4] but hasn’t officially done so yet. The first Test match on this stadium between Sri Lanka and the West Indies was played from 1 to 5 December 2010. The first One Day International match at the venue was played between New Zealand and Pakistan on 8 March 2011. Pallekele is also the host for the Kandurata cricket team.
On 21 September 2011, it was announced that the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium would host nine 2012 ICC World Twenty20 matches.