Who will win India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20 2020?
India and Sri Lanka kick-off their three-match T20i series at Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati, on January 5. The match is scheduled to start at 19:00 local time. Sri Lanka’s tour was arranged after Zimbabwe’s tour was cancelled when they were suspended by the ICC.
India will be without the rested Rohit Sharma, but Virat Kohli still leads a typically strong squad as they look to continue to fine-tune their form ahead of next year’s ICC T20 World Cup. They come into the series on the back of beating both West Indies and Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were thrashed 3-0 by Australia in their most recent T20 series and Lasith Malinga will be keen to improve on a poor captaincy record in T20 cricket in 2019. Former captain Angelo Mathews is back in the squad and also set to be fit enough to bowl too.
IND vs SL, 1st T20 2020: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Star Sports, DD Sports, SuperSport, Fox Sports, Sky Sports Cricket, ATN Cricket Plus, Willow TV, Astro Cricket HD, OSN Sports Cricket, Gazi TV
Live streaming: Hotstar, SkyGo
IND vs SL Toss Prediction
Sri Lanka won the toss and correctly opted to field first in Delhi last time out. Rajkot is a batting wicket, however, and Rohit Sharma might want to get an early bat in should he win the toss this time.
IND vs SL Weather Report
The showers forecast should provide only minimal disruption and there will be enough wind about to blow any rain clouds away.
IND vs SL Pitch Condition
The Barsapara Stadium wicket favours batting, with a flat pitch and short boundaries conducive to high scoring.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for India vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20 2020...
India Team News & Playing 11
IND Team News
Rohit Sharma has been rested by India after some excellent batting form in recent months, as has paceman Mohammed Shami. Shikhar Dhawan is back from an ankle injury and will slot in for Sharma at the top of the order, however, and fit-again Jasprit Bumrah is back in the squad too.
IND Key Players
KL Rahul: Hit scores of 62 and 91 in India’s two wins against West Indies in their most recent T20i series. He averages 43.76 in T20i cricket with a strike rate of 146.46.
Virat Kohli: Passed 1,000 T20i runs in India last time out – the first Indian batsman to do so – while he has 2,633 in T20i cricket in total. Against West Indies, he scored 94*, 19 and 70* and his T20i average now sits at 52.66 with 24 half-centuries to his name.
Jasprit Bumrah: The fit-again paceman has taken 51 wickets in his 42 previous T20 internationals but more impressive is his economy rate – conceding just 6.71 runs per over.
IND Team Form
India have won their last two T20i series 2-1, bouncing back from a shock defeat to Bangladesh to beat the Tigers before seeing off West Indies last time out. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul starred with the bat in both wins against the latter. In the first match of the series they scored 94* and 62 respectively as India chased 208 to win, while in the second they hit 70* and 91 in a total of 240/3 to set India up for a 67-run win.
India Predicted Playing 11
Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
Sri Lanka have recalled former captain Angelo Mathews, while Dhananjaya de Silva also returns to the squad. Kasun Rajitha was initially dropped, but Nuwan Pradeep’s injury means the paceman is back in contention.
SL Key Players
Lasith Malinga: While his T20i captaincy record for Sri Lanka in 2019 was not good, he remains one of the best death bowlers in world cricket and he boasts 387 wickets in 284 T20 innings.
Angelo Mathews: The former captain will bolster the batting line-up as he looks to provide some impetus at the tail-end of the innings, while he might also be fit again to bowl – he has a useful T20i economy rate.
Kusal Perera: Hit a half-century in his most recent T20i innings for Sri Lanka, and continued his good batting form with some useful scores for Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League.
SL Team Form
Sri Lanka won all three matches they played in Pakistan despite being without the majority of their experienced stars. When their regulars returned for their tour of Australia, however, their fortunes reversed – suffering three heavy defeats on the road. They posted 99/9 in reply to 233/2 in the first game, which set the tone, before being bowled out for 117 in a nine-wicket defeat in the second and then being unable to defend 142/6 in the third.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Perera (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Malinga (c), Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana, Lahiru Kumara
India vs Sri Lanka Head to Head
India have won 11 of their 16 previous T20 matches with Sri Lanka. The only team they have played more often in the format is Australia. Winning just one game in this series will mean India have beaten Sri Lanka more often than any of their other T20i opponents. Most recently, they me twice in the Nidahas Trophy in March 2018. Sri Lanka won the first match – chasing 175 to win by five wickets – but Shardul Thakur took 4-27 as India restricted Sri Lanka to 152/9 in their second game, and the Indians won by six wickets with 2.3 overs to spare.
IND vs SL Head to Head Stats
| Matches Played |
IND Won |
SL Won |
Tie |
No Result |
| 16 |
11 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
India vs Sri Lanka Betting Odds
India are big favourites to win the opening game of this series, which is no surprise given their form compared to Sri Lanka’s.
IND Bet365 Odds
- IND to Win the Match: India are 1.20 favourites to beat Sri Lanka with Bet365.
- IND Top Batsman: Virat Kohli is 3.25 to be India’s top team batsman, while fellow in-form batsman KL Rahul is 4.33 – the same price as his likely opening partner Shikhar Dhawan. Kohli and Rahul were central to India’s wins against West Indies.
- IND Top Bowler: With the ball, fit-again Jasprit Bumrah is 3.50 to be India’s top team bowler with Bet365 and Yuzvendra Chahal is the same price. Kuldeep Yadav can be backed at 4.50, meanwhile.
SL Bet365 Odds
- SL to Win the Match: Sri Lanka are 4.50 outsiders to beat India with Bet365.
- SL Top Batsman: Kusal Mendis is listed as 3.50 favourite to be Sri Lanka’s top team batsman, ahead of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Perera – who are both 4.50 with Bet365. Niroshan Dickwella is 5.00.
- SL Top Bowler: Unsurprisingly, Lasith Malinga is big favourite to be Sri Lanka’s top team bowler. He is 3.40 with Bet365, while Kasun Rajitha is 4.00 and Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakan and Lahiru Kumara can all be backed at 4.50.
IND Betway Odds
- IND to Win the Match: India are 1.22 favourites to beat Sri Lanka with Betway.
SL Betway Odds
- SL to Win the Match: Sri Lanka are priced at 3.75 to beat India with Betway.
🏆 India vs Sri Lanka Prediction
India will hope to inflict more pain on Sri Lanka as they bid for a third T20i series success in a row. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were in excellent form against the West Indies and if both maintain that, India could be big winners once more.
Jan 05, 2020
19:00 IST / 13:30 GMT
Barsapara Cricket Stadium - Guwahati, India
IND vs SL T20 
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