The ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 trophy will touch down on Sri Lankan shores on January 16 for a three-day stop en route to its global journey spanning 12 countries, Sri Lanka Cricket said.

The trophy travels through all T20 playing nations, before it returns to India, where the tournament gets underway from March 8 to April 3 this year.

Sponsored by Nissan, the trophy tour of Sri Lanka will provide ample opportunities for local cricket fans to glimpse the coveted prize, especially significant since defending champions Sri Lanka are without doubt strong contenders at No. 3 in the current T20 team rankings.

Scotland was the trophy’s first port of call, before travelling to Ireland, England and the Netherlands as part of its European leg. The trophy continued on to an African Safari, and now it has come to Asia. The trophy arrives in Sri Lanka after having travelled through Pakistan and Bangladesh. Thereafter, it moves on to New Zealand and Australia, before returning to New Delhi on February 1, 2016, where it is scheduled to go on a domestic tour to all the 8 venues of the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016.

(Sri Lanka Cricket)