Canberra's Manuka Oval set to miss out on Australia-India Twenty20 cricket blockbuster

The Twenty20 World Cup slated to be played in Australia was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic, with officials now hoping to host the event in 2021 or 2022.

Manuka Oval was scheduled to host the second game in a three-match warm-up series between Australia and Virat Kohli's India on October 14, and the World Cup was to follow from October 18.

But the decision to postpone the short format's showpiece event is set to be compounded, with the three-match Twenty20 series between Australia and India unlikely to go ahead.

Canberra was not scheduled to host a World Cup game after the ACT government opted to invest in women's matches during Australia's successful title defence earlier this year.

MORE SPORT

But the probable loss of the pre-tournament clash is a cruel blow for Canberra and the ACT government, who hoped the capital would be beamed into more than 1 billion lounge rooms during the international showdown.

Cricket ACT chief executive James Allsopp says the 2020-21 schedule is a "constantly moving proposition" which could change further if the Indian Premier League shifts into the window originally left for the World Cup.

The IPL could be played in the UAE from September, which would leave players facing a tight turnaround before the opening Test of the summer against Afghanistan from November 21 once they quarantine upon arrival in Australia.

"There are still so many moving parts. The good thing about the postponement of the Twenty20 World Cup is that is the first part of the domino effect," Allsopp said.

"That's the decision made, we've now got clarity with that not going ahead. Now we can map out what the Australian schedule looks like a little bit more definitively."

The Twenty20 clash loomed as Canberra's marquee game this season, however the Australian men's and women's teams are both scheduled to play one-day games at Manuka Oval.

Meg Lanning's juggernaut are set to meet India in a 50-over clash at Manuka Oval on January 22, before the men's side hosts New Zealand on January 29.

Canberra will host some Twenty20 cricket with the Sydney Thunder set to bring BBL matches to the city, against the Melbourne Stars on January 3 and Brisbane Heat on January 13.