Bangladesh  have twice levelled with Sri Lanka on the white-ball leg of this tour.   They failed to keep the momentum in the ODI series after winning the second game  and crashed in the third encounter  by nearly 100 runs. Bangladesh have now set up the T20I series similarly, by winning the second game to make it 1-1. Now’s the chance to make amends.

Bangladesh’s 83-run win against Sri Lanka in the last game was only their second T20I victory in eight games in 2025. But they did get a good idea of their best approach in the format: a team-wide performance rather than bank on individual brilliance. In a team lacking superstars in any format, they have to build a unit with several performers.

Litton Das  returning to form will certainly encourage the team. The Bangladesh T20I captain struck 76 off 50, his first half-century after 13 innings. The numbers might suggest he played an anchor role but he was attacking in both partnerships with Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain. Bangladesh will look for a similar approach, with at least two or three sizeable partnerships, and a big finish to their batting innings.

The action now returns to the R Premadasa Stadium where in the night games the pitch currently has a batting-first score similar to that of the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Bangladesh wouldn’t mind the familiarity.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have to bounce back from getting bowled out for 94, their lowest T20I total at home.   They could take a leaf out of their ODI series playbook when they lost the second game, but then roared back with a victory. For that to happen, they would need their top order to step up again, the way Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka set up their first T20I win.

Captain Charith Asalanka has to also ensure his XI is balanced and not too lopsided with bowling options. He would also expect runs from Kusal Perera and Avishka Fernando, while the likes of Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne have to contribute with the bat. Asalanka has been missing Wanindu Hasaranga, as legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay hasn’t quite delivered in the series so far.

Bangladesh’s spinners, though, will keep posing a challenge. Rishad Hossain had a three-wicket haul after a seven-month gap in T20Is. It is shaping up to be a climactic tour finale for both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Kusal Mendis has been Sri Lanka’s standout performer in the last four weeks across formats. The most admirable part of his batting has been his pacing in each format. He tore into Bangladesh’s attack in the first T20I in Pallekele, making light work of the 155 target. His 8 in the second game therefore came as a surprise, particularly when he was run-out running languidly. Kusal has the opportunity to sign off on this tour emphatically.

Towhid Hridoy made just 31 in Bangladesh’s win in Dambulla but he provided crucial support to Litton in their third-wicket stand. Hridoy has a middle-order role that requires him to bat in different gears, similar to Mushfiqur Rahim’s for much of his white-ball career. Hridoy is therefore filling into big shoes, while also growing as a cricketer. Increasingly, opposition bowling attacks are taking him seriously enough to look for holes in his batting. Hridoy has all the shots in the game, though sometimes his choice and timing of those shots get him into trouble.

Sri Lanka could bring in Dunith Wellalage in place of Chamika Karunaratne, while Avishka Fernando’s place is under the scanner.

Sri Lanka (probable XI): Pathum Nissanka,  Kusal Mendis (wk),  Kusal Perera  Avishka Fernando, Charith Asalanka (capt),  Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne/Dunith Wellalage,  Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay,  Binura Fernando,  Nuwan Thushara