SL vs IND 1st T20 Match Prediction & Betting Tips
Sri Lanka and India begin their three-match T20I series on Saturday evening in Pallekele at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. This will be Sri Lanka’s first T20I since they were knocked out of the 2024 T20 World Cup. India come into this series after beating India 4-1 in a five game series earlier this month. Read on as we preview this match which begins at 19:00 local time on July 27th.
It was a disappointing T20 World Cup for Sri Lanka and it was no surprise to see them make changes in their coaching staff and leadership group on the field. They are a talented nation, particularly in white ball cricket, but this will be a very tough T20I on Saturday.
After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, India showed their depth by selecting nearly a completely new group of players who went to Zimbabwe and easily triumphed earlier this month. India will be very confident of getting off to a winning start in this T20I.
Sri Lanka vs India 1st T20 Match Live Streaming
TV channels: You can watch this match live on the Sony Sports Network.
Live Streaming: The fixture will be live-streamed on Sony Liv.
SL vs IND Match Toss Prediction
Four of the last six and the last two T20Is at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium have been won by the team fielding first so we predict that both captains will choose to chase in this match if they win the toss.
SL vs IND Pitch Report
There will be something in this pitch for the batters and the bowlers at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. The surface will provide pace and a par score will be 185+ in this match.
Pallekele Weather Report
Mostly cloudy conditions are forecast for Saturday evening in Pallekele but the temperature will still be in the mid-high twenties throughout this game. Humidity levels will be 85% and above from start to finish of this match.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds, and match prediction for Sri Lanka vs India 1st T20 2024
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
After Wanindu Hasaranga stepped down from the captain’s role at the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, at the same time that Chris Silverwood resigned his role as coach, Charith Asalanka will lead the team in this game. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Dilshan Madushanka also miss out after playing in the T20 World Cup.
SL Key Players
- Pathum Nissanka – The composed 26 year old top order batter is one of the first names on the teamsheet in all formats for Sri Lanka.
- Kusal Mendis – The right-handed batter comes into this match in brilliant form after making scores of 72 not out, 105 not out and 46 from his last three innings in the 2024 Lanka Premier League.
- Wanindu Hasaranga – The former skipper will return to the ranks in this game but is still Sri Lanka’s most talented spinner of this era and he will be their main slow bowling threat.
- Matheesha Pathirana – The 21 year old pace bowler with the slingy action can be hard to pick for the batters and will be looking to build on his T20I strike-rate of 12.7.
SL Team Form
Sri Lanka won their final match of the 2024 T20 World Cup but did not win any of their three previous games.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana
India Team News & Playing 11
IND Team News
After sending a relatively inexperienced side to Zimbabwe for their five match T20I series in Zimbabwe immediately after their 2024 T20 World Cup success, India have selected a far more experienced group for this series with Suryakumar Yadav captaining the team.
IND Key Players
- Shubman Gill – The opener was India’s skipper in Zimbabwe and he will be vice-captain in this game. He has already hit two half-centuries in T20Is this month.
- Suryakumar Yadav – The captain has a brilliant T20I record and he will encourage his players to play with freedom throughout this opening T20I.
- Arshdeep Singh – The left-arm opening bowler has proved himself as a fine performer in all conditions and he will bring a strike-rate of 13.6 in T20Is to this fixture.
- Mohammed Siraj – The right-arm pace bowler lost his place in India’s XI during the T20 World Cup and he will be keen to put in a big performance in his return.
IND Team Form
India come into this opening game of the series looking to record their fifth successive T20I victory.
India Predicted Playing 11
Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh
Sri Lanka vs India Head to Head
The last four T20Is between the sides have seen both teams win two matches each but it was India who triumphed by a remarkable 91 runs in the last head to head in January of last year.
SL vs IND Head to Head Stats in T20s
| Matches Played | SL Won | IND Won | Tie | NR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 29 | 9 | 19 | 0 | 1 |
| Last 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Sri Lanka vs India Betting Odds
Although the teams have been well matches in recent T20Is, Sri Lanka are the outsiders ahead of Saturday’s opening game of the series. Sri Lanka can be backed at 3.40 with India the favourites at 1.35.
Who will win Sri Lanka vs India 1st T20 Match?
Sri Lanka have some very talented players across their side but are in a slight transitional period with a new coach and captain. Player for player, India look stronger ahead of this game.
🏆 Sri Lanka vs India Prediction
With India selecting a very strong squad for this tour, we expect Sri Lanka to face a very tough task in this opening game. However, India are without Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav, two key bowlers from their T20 World Cup triumph, and that could give Sri Lanka a way into the contest. Overall, we are predicting a win for India in Pallekele.
