India vs Sri Lanka First ODI Moves From Delhi to Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam will open the Sri Lanka tour of India instead of Delhi. The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced on Thursday, November 5, that the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, set for December 13, 2026, has been shifted from Delhi to Visakhapatnam. The date and the start time, 2 p.m. local, do not change. The match will be played at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.

The BCCI advisory said the change followed a request from the Delhi and District Cricket Association, the DDCA. The Delhi body cited the potential for weather disruption and the proposed renovation work at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. BCCI honorary secretary Devajit Saikia signed the advisory.

Why Delhi gave the match up

Delhi in December carries two known problems for a day match, and reporting around the decision named both, plus a third. The BCCI wording points to weather risk and stadium renovation. Cricbuzz, which reported the move earlier in the week, said the DDCA also raised the capital's air quality in December, a recurring issue for winter sport in Delhi, alongside the renovation work at the ground. Cricinfo noted the match would have been the first ODI in Delhi since the 2023 World Cup.

None of the three outlets reported a dispute. The DDCA asked, the BCCI agreed, and the fixture moved with five weeks to spare, which gives Visakhapatnam time to sell tickets and prepare a pitch and gives fans who had planned for Delhi time to change plans.

The series around it

Sri Lanka's tour is a six match white ball trip: three ODIs and three T20 Internationals. The ODI leg now runs Visakhapatnam on December 13, Bengaluru on December 16 and Ahmedabad on December 19, according to the schedule carried by Cricbuzz and IANS reporting. The second ODI in Bengaluru falls on December 16, the same day as the IPL mini auction in Goa, a clash Cricbuzz noted has not led to any rescheduling.

For Visakhapatnam, the gain is real. The ACA-VDCA Stadium gets a series opener, with the attention that follows the first match of a tour, instead of a mid series date. For Delhi, the loss is a fixture the city had waited three years to host again, and the reasons, weather, air and renovation, are the same reasons that keep pulling winter events out of the capital.

Key facts

• New venue: ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam
• Date and time unchanged: December 13, 2026, 2 p.m. local
• Old venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
• Requested by: the DDCA, citing weather risk and renovation work
• Series: three ODIs and three T20Is, Sri Lanka tour of India
• Next ODIs: Bengaluru on December 16, Ahmedabad on December 19

What happens next

Tickets and travel plans for the opener now point to the east coast. The BCCI has not announced any change to the rest of the tour. Fans holding Delhi plans should wait for the boards' ticket guidance rather than buying from resale listings for a match that will not be played in Delhi.