India will host Sri Lanka for five women’s T20Is from 21-30 December, slotting the series neatly between the end-of-year break and the Women’s Premier League (WPL) that begins on 9 January. The first two fixtures will be in Visakhapatnam, the final three in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said the short tour “will help the squad fine-tune combinations ahead of next year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England”. Sri Lanka Cricket echoed the sentiment, noting the games provide “valuable, high-pressure preparation” even though no Sri Lankan players are contracted to WPL franchises at present.
This December window only opened because India’s proposed white-ball series against Bangladesh – three ODIs and three T20Is – was postponed earlier in the month. A few scheduling headaches later, and Sri Lanka stepped in.
Key facts first
• Dates: 21-30 December
• Venues: Visakhapatnam (21, 23 Dec); Thiruvananthapuram (26, 28, 30 Dec)
• Format: five T20Is, all under lights
The two sides last met in any format on 30 September at the ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad, India winning comfortably. Their previous T20I clash came during the 2024 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, where India also prevailed.
Analysis – why it matters
India have not played a home T20I since July, so the series should give coach Amol Muzumdar a clearer idea of form before the WPL – and, more importantly, before the global tournament in June. Expect rotation: the selectors want to look at a couple of younger quicks, while monitoring Jemimah Rodrigues’s return from a niggle.
For Sri Lanka, still buoyed by their maiden bilateral win over England earlier this year, the challenge is maintaining that upward curve without Chamari Athapaththu shouldering everything. How they handle India’s spinners on lower, slower decks in the south could offer clues to their World Cup prospects in English conditions, where bounce is usually truer.
What comes next
After the WPL wraps up in early February, India head to Australia for a multi-format tour. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have pencilled in a home tri-series, details TBC.
There is no broadcast information yet, but the BCCI is expected to confirm TV and streaming partners shortly.
