Sri Lanka’s First Contingent Lands in Islamabad Ahead of Pakistan T20I Series
The first group of Sri Lanka’s touring party arrived in Islamabad on Sunday, setting in motion the island side’s six-week tour of Pakistan. The Sri Lanka Pakistan T20I series gets under way on Friday at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the visitors arriving in batches to prepare for the opener.
The 13-member first contingent comprises eight players from Sri Lanka’s T20I squad and five members of the team management. T20I captain Kusal Mendis leads the arrivals, alongside Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana and Eshan Malinga, with Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Dunith Wellalage making up the rest of the playing group.
Sri Lanka’s head coach, two more players and two additional officials are scheduled to reach Islamabad on Monday, while the remaining five members of the T20I squad will land on Tuesday, completing the touring party two days before the series begins.
Sri Lanka Pakistan T20I schedule
All three T20Is will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, on October 9, October 11 and October 13. The series marks Sri Lanka’s first bilateral short-format tour of Pakistan since 2019, when the sides played three T20Is at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan won that series 3-0.
The two teams have met 31 times in T20 internationals, and Pakistan hold the advantage with 18 wins against Sri Lanka’s 13. For Sri Lanka, this tour is a chance to rebuild after a difficult stretch: they lost 3-0 to England in a T20I series in September, a tour on which Mendis was absent with a hamstring injury. The wicketkeeper-batter returns to full-time captaincy for the Pakistan assignment.
Selectors have made six changes to the squad that toured England. Sri Lanka will be without opener Pathum Nissanka and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, both ruled out with injuries, while Dushmantha Chameera travels subject to fitness.
Long tour: tri-series and Tests to follow
The T20Is are only the opening leg of an extended stay. England will then join Pakistan and Sri Lanka for an ODI tri-series, split between Rawalpindi and Lahore. The tri-series begins with Pakistan against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 18, followed by Pakistan versus England on October 20 and Sri Lanka versus England on October 22.
The action moves to Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for the remaining matches: Pakistan face England on October 25, Pakistan meet Sri Lanka on October 27, and Sri Lanka play England on October 29, with the top two teams advancing to the final on October 31.
After the tri-series, Sri Lanka will play a three-day warm-up match in Islamabad from November 4 to 6 before a two-Test series against Pakistan. The Tests form part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, with the first at Rawalpindi from November 9 to 13 and the second at Gaddafi Stadium from November 17 to 21.
When does the Pakistan-Sri Lanka T20I series start?
The three-match T20I series starts on Friday, October 9, 2026. The remaining matches are on Sunday, October 11, and Tuesday, October 13.
Where are the T20Is being played?
All three T20Is will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Who is captaining Sri Lanka on the Pakistan tour?
Kusal Mendis captains the 15-member T20I squad, returning to the role after missing the England tour with a hamstring injury.
When did Sri Lanka last play a T20I series in Pakistan?
Sri Lanka last toured Pakistan for a bilateral T20I series in 2019, playing three matches at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, which Pakistan swept 3-0.
