Sri Lanka will host a Women’s ODI Tri-Series featuring India and South Africa, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced on Thursday. The series, which was not part of the original Future Tours Programme, will take place from April 27 to May 11 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The tri-series offers a valuable opportunity for the three teams to prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India later this year.
There will be a double round-robin format–each team plays the other teams twice–wherein the top two teams advance to the final after playing four games each, and it sets off in Galle with host nation Sri Lanka taking on India on April 27. All matches will be played in a single day, which gives enough time for the teams to get into their rhythm for the World Cup campaign.
The schedule of the series is as follows:
April 27: Sri Lanka vs India
April 29: India vs South Africa
May 1: Sri Lanka vs South Africa
May 4: Sri Lanka vs India
May 6: South Africa vs India
May 8: the final May 11
Sri Lanka’s team is on a white-ball tour in New Zealand while most Indian players are engaged in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) at home, while a few South African players are also playing for the WPL. Prior to the announcement of this tri-series, South Africa’s next international commitment was the June trip to the West Indies. The tri-series not only offers the teams match practice, but it guarantees competitive exposure to the Sri Lankan conditions before heading into global events in the Women’s ODI World Cup, scheduled for 2026 in India.
It would also give the players some critical exposure to Sri Lankan conditions prior to global events. Added essence to this series is that Sri Lanka holds the Asia Cup title in women’s cricket while South Africa has style and flair in Two because of their semifinal finish in the 2022 ODI World Cup and is looking to build on that.
Presently, India, ranked third in the ICC Women’s ODI rankings, expects to firm up its position atop the cricket sphere with South Africa on the fourth rung and Sri Lanka frighteningly close at the seventh. It is as critical as this series is with Women’s World 2026 coming.
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