India to host Sri Lanka for women’s T20Is after Bangladesh tour postponed

India will host Sri Lanka for a five-match T20I series from December 21 to 30, stepping in as the team's new assignment after Bangladesh's scheduled white-ball tour of India -- originally consisting of three ODIs and three T20Is -- was postponed indefinitely. 

The postponement was confirmed on November 18, when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Abdur Razzak told The Daily Star that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had informed them of the decision via email. "Yes, the tour has been postponed and it will be rescheduled," Razzak then said, adding that no new dates had been proposed and the series was "not happening any time soon."

The December Bangladesh tour was meant to kick off the new women's Future Tours Programme cycle for Bangladesh, with the ODI leg also set to launch their ICC Women's ODI Championship campaign. Its deferment followed another scheduling shift: India men's white-ball tour of Bangladesh, initially set for August 2025, was moved to September 2026.

Against that backdrop, Sri Lanka's arrival in India becomes the primary international engagement for the hosts before the Women's Premier League (WPL). As reported by Cricinfo, the T20I series will begin with two matches in Visakhapatnam before moving to Thiruvananthapuram for the final three games. Though the WPL starts soon after on January 9 — opening in Navi Mumbai and later shifting to Vadodara — no Sri Lanka player appears in any of the five WPL squads.

The five T20Is will serve as crucial preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup in England, beginning June 12. India and Sri Lanka last met in the ODI World Cup opener on September 30; their previous T20I meeting came during the 2024 T20 World Cup in October.

After the WPL, India will resume international duties with a full tour of Australia in February–March, setting the tone for a packed 2026 season.