India to play five match T20 series against Sri Lanka ahead of WPL 2026

MUMBAI: India’s women’s cricket team is gearing up to face Sri Lanka just before the start of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in January 2026 in a thrilling five-match T20I series, kicking off on December 21 in Visakhapatnam.

The series will comprise two matches in Visakhapatnam, followed by three games in Thiruvananthapuram, and will wrap up on December 30. This series marks India’s return to action after their triumphant win at the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announces the schedule for the upcoming IDFC FIRST Bank Women’s T20I series as India hosts Sri Lanka for a five-match contest next month. The series will begin in Visakhapatnam before moving to Thiruvananthapuram for the remaining fixtures,” BCCI said in a statement.

The five T20Is between India and Sri Lanka will act as preparation for the T20 World Cup next year, which will be played from June 12 in England.

The last time the two teams met in any format was in the ODI World Cup opener on September 30, while the previous T20I between them was at the T20 World Cup in October 2024.

India have a dominant record against Sri Lanka, with 20 wins in 26 matches, and the visitors’ last victory in India came way back in 2014.

Coincidentally, that win had also come in Vishakhapatnam, the venue for the first two games in the upcoming T20I series.

India’s next series after the WPL will be an all-format tour of Australia in February-March. The series will feature one Test, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

The series begins with T20Is in Sydney, Canberra, and Adelaide, followed by ODIs in Brisbane and Hobart, and concludes with a single Test match in Perth. (ANI)