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Sri Lanka spend a month in New Zealand at the height of the southern summer. Eight internationals run from 16 January to 16 February 2027: three ODIs, three T20Is and two World Test Championship Tests. The tour visits seven grounds across both islands, from Napier and Wellington in the north to Dunedin, Christchurch and Nelson in the south, and back north to Mount Maunganui and Hamilton.
New Zealand's grounds are small, green and close to the action, often with grass banks, sea views or mountains in the background. Following the tour is as much a road trip through one of the world's great travel destinations as it is a cricket trip.
The tour is a bilateral series organised by New Zealand Cricket (NZC), hosting Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), as part of New Zealand's 2026-27 home summer. It is really three series in one: a three-match ODI series, a three-match T20I series and a two-Test series. The Tests count towards the 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship, whose final is at The Oval in June 2027.
The ODIs and Tests start at 11:00 AM local time (22:00 GMT the previous day). The T20Is move through the day: an evening start in Christchurch, a late-afternoon start for the first Nelson match and a Sunday 1:00 PM start for the last one. Each series goes to the side that wins more matches. There is no overall final.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka have played each other since the 1979 World Cup. The rivalry has stayed close across formats. In Tests, New Zealand lead 18 wins to 13, with 11 draws. In ODIs the count is 54 to 44, and in T20Is it is 17 to 9.
Recent meetings have produced some unforgettable finishes. On Sri Lanka's last Test tour of New Zealand, in March 2023, New Zealand won in Christchurch off the final ball. Kane Williamson and Henry Nicholls then made double hundreds at the Basin Reserve to complete a 2-0 sweep. Sri Lanka hit back by beating New Zealand 2-0 in Galle in 2024. On their white-ball visit in January 2025, they won the final T20I and the final ODI, the ODI by 140 runs at Eden Park.
January and February are the peak of the New Zealand summer. Days are long, light lasts well into the evening, and temperatures are usually warm rather than hot, though the weather can change quickly, especially in the south. Cricket crowds are relaxed and family-friendly, and spectators often settle on grass banks with a picnic for the day.
The tour route covers much of what draws visitors to the country. On the North Island there is Hawke's Bay wine country, the capital's waterfront and the beaches of the Bay of Plenty. On the South Island there is Dunedin's Scottish heritage and wildlife, Christchurch as the gateway to the Southern Alps, and the sunny Nelson Tasman region with its national parks.
The ODI series opens at McLean Park in Napier on Saturday 16 January 2027. It moves to the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Tuesday 19 January and finishes at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin on Friday 22 January. All three ODIs start at 11:00 AM.
The T20Is begin at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Tuesday 26 January, an evening match with first ball at 7:00 PM. Nelson's Saxton Oval then hosts back-to-back games, at 4:00 PM on Friday 29 January and 1:00 PM on Sunday 31 January.
The Tests follow. The first is at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui from Thursday 4 to Monday 8 February, and the tour ends at Seddon Park in Hamilton from Friday 12 to Tuesday 16 February. Both Tests start at 11:00 AM local time.
One of the larger grounds in the country, with room for about 19,700, McLean Park has hosted Test cricket since 1979 and is known for fast outfields and high scores. Napier was rebuilt in Art Deco style after the 1931 earthquake, and the surrounding Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's leading wine and food regions.
The Basin Reserve has hosted Test cricket since 1930. It is a heritage-listed oval with about 11,600 places and its famous grass embankment. It holds special memories for this fixture, from Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews batting through a day to save a Test in 2018 to Williamson's and Nicholls' double hundreds in 2023. The capital offers Te Papa museum, the waterfront, the cable car and a strong café and craft beer scene.
Opened in 1930 and a Test venue since 2008, the University Oval is a picturesque ground ringed by trees and grass banks, with a small pavilion and a relaxed, student-town atmosphere. Dunedin is the gateway to the Otago Peninsula, where albatross, penguins and seals can be seen within an hour of the city. Its Victorian and Edwardian streets are among the best preserved in the country.
Set inside the city's great Hagley Park, this ground first hosted international cricket in 2014. It holds about 18,000 with temporary seating, mostly on grass banks. Brendon McCullum hit the fastest Test hundred here, off 54 balls in 2016. Christchurch is a compact, walkable city, and it is the starting point for trips to Akaroa, Arthur's Pass and the Southern Alps.
Saxton Oval in Stoke, on the edge of Nelson, holds about 6,000. Its hillside setting makes it one of the most intimate international venues anywhere. Sri Lanka have good memories here: Kusal Perera hit 101 off 46 balls in a T20I at Saxton in January 2025. Nelson is one of the sunniest places in New Zealand and sits next to the Abel Tasman National Park, so the two games here pair well with a few days of beaches, kayaking and wineries.
A short walk from the surf beach, the 10,000-capacity Bay Oval became a Test venue in 2019. It has since seen New Zealand's 615 for 9 declared against England and Rachin Ravindra's 240 against South Africa. Mount Maunganui is a classic summer beach town, and you can climb the extinct volcano known as Mauao for views over the Bay of Plenty before play starts.
Seddon Park has hosted international cricket since 1981 and holds about 10,000. Its grass banks are ringed by trees, and it has long been one of New Zealand's most reliable Test grounds. Hamilton sits at the heart of the Waikato, a short drive from the Hobbiton movie set, the Waitomo glowworm caves and the geothermal country around Rotorua.
The Blackcaps are led by Tom Latham in Tests and Mitchell Santner in white-ball cricket, with Rob Walter as head coach. They won a Test series in England 2-1 in 2026, and Nathan Smith was the leading wicket-taker on that tour. Players such as Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson have been central to the side in recent years. Squads for the Sri Lanka series are still to be named.
Sri Lanka will be led in all three formats by Kusal Mendis. He was named white-ball captain in May 2026 and Test captain in October 2026, after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down. Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis and Charith Asalanka lead a talented batting group, while Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage head a spin attack that has troubled New Zealand before. Touring squads will be confirmed closer to January.
Few tours offer this much variety. There are all three formats, seven different grounds and a rivalry whose recent matches have been decided by a final ball and by big upsets. New Zealand's small grounds put you close to the players, and the grass banks and summer evenings make even a five-day Test feel like a festival.
The route is the other attraction. You can follow the whole month as a road trip, or pick one leg: the ODIs with Hawke's Bay and Wellington, the T20Is with Christchurch and Nelson, or the Tests with the Bay of Plenty beaches and Hobbiton.
Most international visitors arrive through Auckland or Christchurch. Domestic flights connect every host city, and the scenic drives between them are part of the appeal. Napier to Wellington takes about four hours, and Christchurch to Nelson about five. January is the peak domestic holiday month, so book flights, campervans and accommodation early.
Many visitors need either a visa or a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before they travel, so check the requirements for your passport. The currency is the New Zealand dollar. The summer sun is strong, so bring a hat and high-factor sunscreen, plus a warm layer for evenings in Dunedin and Christchurch.
CrickBuster packages handle the planning for you. Depending on the package, they include guaranteed official match tickets in general or hospitality seating, flights, accommodation, airport and stadium transfers, and excursions and sightseeing. These range from Hawke's Bay wine tours and the Otago Peninsula to Abel Tasman and Hobbiton. Meet-and-greet and fan experiences are added where available.
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