The three-match T20I series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan kicks off with a high-stakes series opener at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. This series serves as the final dress rehearsal for both sides before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins in February.

Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, enters with a new-look squad as marquee players like Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi are currently unavailable. Sri Lanka, captained by Dasun Shanaka, will look to leverage their formidable home record and spin-heavy attack to gain an early advantage in what is expected to be a closely fought contest between the two Asian rivals.

SL vs PAK, 1st T20I: Match Details

• Date and Time: January 7 (Wednesday); 7:00 pm IST / 1:30 pm GMT / 7:00 pm local
• Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla

SL vs PAK Head-to-Head Record in T20Is

Matches played: 27 | Pakistan won: 16 | Sri Lanka won: 11 | No results: 0

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium Pitch Report

The Dambulla pitch is historically known to be a balanced surface, providing early assistance to seamers with the new ball while becoming increasingly conducive to spin as the game progresses. In T20Is at this venue, teams batting first have had a significant edge, winning six out of the nine matches played. The average first-innings score here is approximately 143, though a total of 170+ is considered highly competitive. As a night encounter, dew may become a factor in the second innings, potentially aiding the chasing side; however, the stadium’s history suggests that the captain winning the toss might still elect to bat first to put runs on the board and let the spinners dominate later.

Also READ: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2025, T20I Series: Schedule, Squads, Broadcast and Live Streaming details

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: Team dynamics and key players

Sri Lanka: The hosts are expected to field a near full-strength lineup, featuring the world-class spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, who are lethal in these conditions. Their batting relies on the consistency of Pathum Nissanka and the explosive potential of Kusal Mendis. With a deep middle order and familiarity with the slow Dambulla track, Sri Lanka will aim to choke Pakistan’s scoring in the middle overs. Their disciplined bowling unit and home-ground advantage make them a tough side to break down.

Pakistan: In the absence of several senior stars, the responsibility falls on skipper Salman Ali Agha and the explosive Saim Ayub. The return of all-rounder Shadab Khan after surgery is a massive boost, providing both a wicket-taking option and lower-order power. Sahibzada Farhan, currently Pakistan’s highest-ranked T20I batter, enters the series in peak form. The pace battery, led by Naseem Shah, will be critical in the powerplay to disrupt Sri Lanka’s top order before the spinners take over.

SL vs PAK, 1st T20I: Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• Sri Lanka wins the toss and bats first
• Sri Lanka powerplay score: 45-55 (6 overs)
• Sri Lanka total score: 165-180

Case 2:

• Pakistan wins the toss and bats first
• Pakistan powerplay score: 50-60 (6 overs)
• Pakistan total score: 155-170

Match result: Sri Lanka to win the contest 

Also READ: No Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan unveils provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2026

Image Credit: TimesContent.com (TOI Archive)

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday shared a poem in support of jailed activist Umar Khalid after the Supreme Court denied him bail in a case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.Moitra posted the poem on X, titled “You will rise, Umar Khalid”, writing, “You Will Rise, Umar Khalid. You may write me (Umar Khalid) down in history, With your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirt,But still, like dust, I’ll rise…You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I’ll rise.”

The Supreme Court on Monday denied bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam in a case involving an alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The court, however, granted bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa Ur Rehman, Mohd. Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmad.Following the court’s decision, a group of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students reportedly raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on campus.The action drew sharp criticism from political leaders. Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “The offspring of Sharjeel Imam were born at JNU. We will crush such wicked intentions, which stand with the country’s traitors, with those who speak the language of breaking the country.”BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala also condemned the slogans, calling Congress and Left parties an “anti-India urban naxal gang”, and added, “This shows that they are an anti-India urban naxal gang which always keeps people like Umar and Sharjeel and their vote bank above national security…Be it Congress or Left or their ecosystem in JNU, they always stand with anti-India elements.”Delhi home minister Ashish Sood described the alleged sloganeering at JNU as “unfortunate” and “condemnable”, saying, “This kind of sloganeering after rejection of the bail plea of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam is unfortunate and condemnable. Sharjeel Imam talked about cutting off the Chicken’s Neck corridor to separate Northeast India. Umar Khalid raised slogans of ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’. I consider this treason.“

Indian Super League trophy (Pic credit: ISL)

PANAJI: The sports ministry and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) turned the tables on top-tier clubs during a joint meeting in the Capital on Tuesday, leaving them with no choice but agree to take part in this edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya later announced that the ISL will kick off on Feb 14 with all 14 teams taking part. When clubs headed to the Capital at short notice — summoned individually through a phone call late on Monday night by AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan — they were expecting to hear the proposal, return home, study and then consult owners. Instead, they were told time was running out and they had to say “yes or no” on Tuesday itself.

“We had no choice to decide whether the (short-term) proposal makes sense,” said one club official who had to hurriedly call the club owner and inform him of the latest developments.Consistent in their stand that they are taking part in the top league, whatever the format and financial implications, Jamshedpur FC were the first to provide an email confirmation, followed by the likes of Punjab FC, East Bengal, NorthEast United, Mohammedan Sporting and Inter Kashi. Later, Delhi SC, Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant came on board. Five clubs — Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC, Mumbai City, FC Goa and Odisha FC — needed time to speak with their owners and reluctantly agreed. ISL clubs were also taken aback with the change in format.

While most were in favour of a single-leg centralised format, AIFF proposed a single leg home and away structure for the current season, estimated to cost Rs24.3 crore. AIFF said a single leg centralised format will cost Rs 38 crore, adding to the cost.The ISL will have a total of 91 matches with all 14 teams playing each other once. Clubs have to pay Rs 1 crore each as franchise fee. As per the constitution, the top league will have principles of promotion and relegation, but AIFF is likely to approach the Supreme Court for a one-year relaxation, given that it will be a truncated league. Talking to the media, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said: “Today the govt, football federation and 14 clubs had a meeting and we have decided that ISL will start Feb 14 on Saturday. All 14 clubs will participate.”“Similarly, the I-League will be held around the same time with all 11 clubs participating. The leagues will finally happen,” he added.Mandaviya was joined by the beleaguered AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, who explained the financial and logistical aspects of both leagues. “A Rs 25 crore central pool has been made only for the conduct of the ISL. 10 percent of this fund will come from AIFF, 50% from clubs and 10% from legacy partners (clubs). Another 30% was to come from a commercial partner but since we don’t have one right now, the AIFF will pitch in with that contribution for this season,” Chaubey said.

MUMBAI: Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, recently released in Delhi the book “Khutbat-e-Modi: Lal Qila Ki Faseel Se”, a compilation of the Independence Day addresses delivered by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Red Fort between 2014 and 2025.Published in Urdu and brought out by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL), New Delhi, a national institution under the Ministry of Education mandated to promote, preserve, and propagate the Urdu language across the country, the book takes the PM’s thoughts on different issues to the Urdu-knowing masses.

Speaking on the occasion,Pradhan expressed his happiness at the publication of “Khutbat-e-Modi” in Urdu, describing it as a meaningful step towards linguistic inclusion. The minister said that in the Prime Minister’s addresses, initiatives such as Antyodaya (uplifting the last person), welfare of the poor, Swachh Bharat, national unity, and the aspirations of 140 crore Indians are emphasized, reflecting the vision of New India.Pradhan noted that such publications serve as a powerful medium to directly connect citizens with the Prime Minister’s ideas, developmental priorities, and vision, enabling wider public engagement and informed discourse. He expressed the hope that the book would find a place in libraries across the country, encouraging students, scholars, and readers to engage in a broader dialogue on the vision of Viksit Bharat.The minister further emphasised that NCPUL should proactively undertake the responsibility of publishing works related to India’s heritage, culture, lifestyle, and knowledge traditions in Urdu. Pradhan congratulated NCPUL for this commendable initiative and conveyed his best wishes for future endeavours.Perhaps for the first time, Pradhan shared this information through as post on X. NCPUL’s director Dr Shams Iqbal said that the Council has made lectures of PM delivered from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort available to the Urdu-reading masses and will go a long way in disseminating the message in them.“Khutbat-e-Modi” captures the transformational journey of New India while reaffirming the government’s commitment to linguistic inclusivity by making key national addresses accessible to Urdu readers across the country.

MUMBAI: Bombay HC’s vacation bench recently denied interim relief against deportation to an Ethiopian national, who has eight children and has allegedly resided without a valid visa in India since 2017. The woman has claimed that she “is likely to be executed” if she is sent back home.Justice Sandesh D Patil on the vacation bench said on Jan 2 that the authorities were duty-bound to remove those overstaying without a visa, but posted the matter for further hearing before the regular court on Jan 13. HC was informed that the woman has been in a police station in lieu of a ‘deportation cell’ since Dec 17, 2025, and that her husband and children, including an infant, are in Delhi. Seeking urgent protective orders against the deportation process initiated by Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), Mumbai, the woman’s counsel, Shravan Giri, said she came to India on a medical emergency visa for her husband’s illness in 2017 and committed no crime. The only allegation is that she overstayed in India, said Giri, adding that the woman had already applied to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and would go home the moment she is granted refugee status. Advocates Manisha Jagtap and Yashashree Raut for FRRO said “UNHCR refugee card status is not recognised under Indian law, as India is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or the 1967 Protocol”. According to the immigration officer’s affidavit, the woman arrived in Delhi in July 2017 on a medical attendant sticker in connection with her son. She, her husband and six children, all Ethiopian nationals, came to India on medical visas and, while in India, she gave birth to two more children in 2019 and 2024. FRRO said she was found overstaying illegally during a drive undertaken to detect such foreign nationals residing in Mumbai. HC said she was found only when a drive was conducted, and although her visa was valid only till Nov 8, 2017, she did not apply for an extension. It said she, thus, stayed illegally since Nov 9, 2017, in clear violation of Immigration of Foreigners Act, 2025, and prima facie, no case was made out for any relief.

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NEW DELHI: Family members of jailed student activists Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam expressed disappointment and anguish after the Supreme Court declined to grant them bail in the 2020 Delhi riots case, observing that the two stood on a “qualitatively different footing” from five other accused who were granted relief on Monday.Khalid’s family said the verdict came as yet another blow after nearly five years of incarceration without trial. His father, Syed Qasim Rasool Ilyas, said the family felt a “deep sense of injustice” at the decision, claiming there was no material to support the allegations levelled against his son.

“This is a very unfortunate decision. There is no evidence that shows that my son has made any anti-national speech or committed any anti-national act. In fact, when the riots happened, my son was not even in Delhi,” Ilyas said.Speaking to TOI, he described the order as emotionally draining for the family. “This is a very difficult time for us. He has already spent so many years in jail without trial, and now he will have to wait for another one year before we can appeal for bail again. Again, the entire process will have to be followed, taking more time. We only want to say that hamare bacche ke saath nainsaafi hui hai (injustice has been done with our child). We know our son — he is innocent,” he said.Meanwhile, quoting Khalid in a social media post, his partner Banojyotsna Lahiri wrote on X he was happy for those who secured bail. “I am really happy for the others, who got bail! So relieved,” Khalid told her, she said. “Ab yahi zindagi hai (Now my life is here),” he added.Similar disappointment was echoed by Sharjeel Imam’s family. His brother, Muzammil Imam, questioned the court’s reasoning in singling out Khalid and Imam while granting bail to five other accused. “Of the seven accused, only two have been denied bail on conspiracy charges. How is it possible to say that only these two are conspirators?” he asked.Calling the distinction untenable, Muzammil said his brother had already spent six years in custody without trial. “They have been in jail for years. I was hopeful that Sharjeel would be released today. This judgment is extremely disappointing for us,” he said.However, the families said they felt relief that the five other accused in the case were granted bail. “We are relieved that the five others have been granted bail. At least some families will get their children back,” they said.The five accused granted bail are Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa-ur-Rehman, Mohd Saleem Khan and Shadab Ahmed. The court said they were entitled to bail, subject to stringent conditions, considering the limited and ancillary nature of the allegations against them.