IND vs SL: It is time for a high-profile white-ball series where India will tour Sri Lanka for the ODI and T20 series. The IND vs SL tour will begin with a three-match T20 series which will start on July 27, and all the matches will be played at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele. The visitors announced their squad a few days ago, and it will be Suryakumar Yadav taking on the captaincy job.
Meanwhile, it is quite similar for the hosts, as a new captain will be leading the Sri Lankan team as well. A week ago, Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from the role of T20I captain, and the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) has named star batter Charith Asalanka as the new T20I captain. He will make his debut as captain in the coming IND vs SL series. Interestingly, both sides will have two new captains.
IND vs SL: Charith Asalanka becomes Sri Lanka’s new T20I captain as SLC announces the T20I squad
The announced squad saw four seniors getting dropped from the T20I team that were part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies. Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews, along with Dhanjaya de Silva, Dilshan Madushanka, and Sadeer Samarawickrama, have been dropped from the T20I side.
Charith Asalanka, who led Jaffna Kings to their fourth title after recently beating Galle Marvels in the final, has been rewarded with T20I captaincy for the IND vs SL series. He had a pretty good season himself and scored crucial runs for his team. Apart from that, the players who did well in the recently concluded LPL 2024 are in the squad.
Former captains Hasaranga and Dasun Shanaka are also available. Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Binura Fernando, and Dunith Wellalage are back in the T20I squad. Overall, the squad is looking very strong, as all the players are coming off a good LPL 2024, and most of them have performed well recently.
The T20I games will be played on July 27, 28, and 30, respectively. This IND vs SL series will be a good platform for both teams to prepare their teams for the next T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in India in 2026.
Sri Lanka’s T20I Squad for IND vs SL series
Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando