International Cricket Schedule: Team India is set for one of its busiest calendars in recent memory, with a mix of white-ball dominance, red-ball challenges and a home season packed with marquee series. Here’s a complete breakdown of what fans can expect through the year.
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A Blockbuster Start with International Cricket Schedule
New Zealand and the T20 World Cup: India’s 2026 campaign kicked off at home against New Zealand, with a five-match T20I series and three ODIs running from January 11 to January 31 India will host the Blackcaps for five T20Is and three ODIs. The tour will start from January 11 and will conclude on January 31. This served as ideal preparation for the year’s biggest event — the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India hosted on home soil for the first time in a decade India will host the T20 World Cup after a gap of 10 years. The tournament ran from February 7 to March 8, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side as defending champions India will be aiming to defend their title under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, and India lifting the trophy at the final India lift the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Trophy | Final | T20WC 2026 to cap off a triumphant home World Cup.
IPL, England Tour and the Afghanistan Test
After the World Cup and the IPL 2026 season, India shifted focus back to bilateral cricket. The team hosted Afghanistan for a Test and three ODIs in June, though the venue and exact dates were finalised closer to the series Among these are three ODIs against Afghanistan in June after the IPL, though exact details are yet to be confirmed. July brought a tour of England, featuring three ODIs and five T20Is running from July 1 to July 19 India will step on the English soil for a series including five T20Is and three ODIs. The tour will start on July 1, and the last match will be played on July 19.
Red-Ball Duty in Sri Lanka
India’s Test season began in earnest with a two-match series in Sri Lanka from August 15 to August 27, giving the squad valuable red-ball preparation ahead of tougher overseas assignments later in the World Test Championship cycle India’s first assignment is a two-Test series in Sri Lanka from August 15 to August 27. The tour marks the beginning of a busy second half of the year and provides valuable red-ball preparation ahead of tougher overseas challenges. The touring squad was led by Shubman Gill as captain, with KL Rahul as vice-captain, alongside regulars like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah India’s squad for Tests against Sri Lanka: Shubman Gill [C], KL Rahul [VC], Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant [WK], Sai Sudharsan*, Dhruv Jurel [WK], Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Manav Suthar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar, Devdutt Padikkal, Saransh Jain.
A Stacked Home Season: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Australia
The BCCI has confirmed a blockbuster home season for the International Cricket Schedule, with India set to host West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Australia across formats, featuring 22 international matches spread across 17 cities The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for the senior men’s international home season, with the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup champions set to host West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Australia across formats. A total of 22 international matches will be hosted across 17 cities in what promises to be an action-packed calendar.
The home season opens in September with a white-ball series against West Indies, comprising three ODIs and five T20Is The home season will commence in September, with India hosting West Indies for a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and five T20Is. India also toured New Zealand again in October for a three-match ODI series, with the Gill-led side looking to strengthen its World Test Championship position ahead of two more Tests in New Zealand In October, India will once again face New Zealand in a three-match ODI series during their tour… They will play two Tests in Sri Lanka in August and another two Tests in New Zealand later in the year. India’s cricketers also featured in T20 cricket at the Asian Games in Japan as part of the year’s packed calendar.
The home season wraps up in December with a white-ball series against Sri Lanka, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is India will then take on Sri Lanka in December in the shorter formats featuring three ODIs and three T20Is.
International Cricket Schedule: By the Numbers
According to the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, India were slated to play 49 bilateral matches across formats in 2026, not counting a postponed tour of Bangladesh due to ongoing political tensions between the two boards As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme, India are scheduled to play 49 bilateral matches across formats in 2026. This total does not include a planned tour of Bangladesh, which has been postponed due to ongoing political and social issues between the two countries. In total, the team was set to play 18 ODIs and 20 T20 Internationals across the year India will play 18 ODIs starting from January 11… In total, India will also play 20 T20 internationals in 2026.
Looking Ahead: International Cricket Schedule
The year’s cricketing calendar rolls into early 2027, with the season set to conclude with a home Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia The season will conclude in early 2027 with a home Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series against Australia — a fitting finale as India also continues building toward the 2027 ODI World Cup and a place in the 2025-27 World Test Championship final.
From a triumphant home T20 World Cup to a jam-packed home season against four different opponents, 2026 has cemented itself as one of the most demanding — and rewarding — years yet for Team India.
