India is set to welcome Sri Lanka for a five-match T20I series from December 21 to 30. This series comes as a replacement for Bangladesh’s white-ball tour of India, which was indefinitely postponed. The decision to postpone the Bangladesh tour was conveyed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) via email on November 18. The series has not been rescheduled yet.
The Bangladesh tour, originally slated for December, was intended to mark the beginning of the new women’s Future Tours Programme cycle for Bangladesh and kick off their ICC Women’s ODI Championship campaign. However, due to the postponement, Sri Lanka’s visit to India now takes center stage as the primary international event before the Women’s Premier League (WPL) commences.
The T20I series against Sri Lanka will commence with two matches in Visakhapatnam, followed by three more games in Thiruvananthapuram. The series holds significance as part of India’s preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup in England, starting June 12. India and Sri Lanka last faced off in the ODI World Cup opener on September 30, with their most recent T20I encounter taking place during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Following the WPL, India’s busy cricket calendar continues with a full-fledged tour of Australia scheduled for February–March. This tour will set the stage for a packed 2026 season of international cricket for India.