BCCI yet again comes to Sri Lanka's rescue! Wins hearts with THIS special gesture

The BCCI have come up with a special gesture which will help Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to generate additional revenue.

In a heartwarming display of solidarity, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has agreed to add extra T20I matches to India’s scheduled tour of Sri Lanka in August 2026, which originally included only a two-match Test series as part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27.

This update, confirmed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Chairman Shammi Silva on January 2, 2026, aims to generate additional revenue through broadcasting rights and ticket sales to support ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts in regions devastated by Cyclone Ditwah.

Silva noted that an earlier plan for India to play two T20Is in December 2025 for immediate fundraising fell through due to logistical issues and lack of a broadcaster, but the August fixtures will help sustain focus on recovery while boosting SLC’s finances.

“There was willingness from India to come down at the end of December to play two T20Is to raise funds, but there was simply no time to organise it, especially with no broadcaster available,” Silva told a local media channel.

Cyclone Ditwah, which struck in late November 2025, ranks as one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest natural disasters since the 2004 tsunami, claiming over 600 lives, leaving hundreds missing, and affecting more than 2 million people across all 25 districts with catastrophic flooding, landslides, and destruction of homes, infrastructure, and agriculture.

India’s immediate response was robust: under Operation Sagar Bandhu, the Indian Navy deployed ships like INS Vikrant and INS Udaygiri (along with INS Sukanya) for rescue operations and relief delivery, while the Air Force airlifted tonnes of aid, including modular bridges, water purification units, mobile field hospitals, medical teams, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel for evacuations and search efforts.

This was complemented by an additional $450 million reconstruction package announced in December 2025, featuring concessional loans and grants for long-term rebuilding.

This cricket initiative echoes India’s longstanding pattern of supporting Sri Lanka in crises, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the BCCI doubled limited-overs matches on a 2021 tour to alleviate SLC’s financial losses from cancelled series. Such actions underscore the deep neighbourly ties, with cricket serving as a bridge for humanitarian goodwill amid shared regional challenges.

India’s updated tour to Sri Lanka in 2026

The sequence of whether the extra T20Is be played before or after the Tests, has not been decided yet. It depends on logistics and venue availability. Additionally, the exact number of T20Is is not released either, with the count expected to be two-three.

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