Team India's cricket schedule for 2026: All you need to know - dates, opponents, tournament and other details

Team India's cricket schedule for 2026: All you need to know - dates, opponents, tournament and other details

Team India's cricket schedule for 2026: All you need to know - dates, opponents, tournament and other details Photograph: (AFP)

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The T20I series vs New Zealand in January 2026 will serve as a build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup, where India are already the defending champions. India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav in the tournament, which starts on February 7.

After a successful 2025, Team India will have its eyes on 2026 as they target another World Cup glory. The Indian team had a memorable 2025, where they won the Champions Trophy, followed by the Asia Cup 2025, while also enduring a tough road trip in Australia and England. While things won’t get any easier in the build-up to the 2027 World Cup, eyes will also be firmly on the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who still carry the hopes of the nation.

India’s schedule for 2026

India will kick-start its calendar year with a home series against New Zealand, where they will play three ODIs and five T20Is. The T20I series will serve as a build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup, where India are already the defending champions. India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav in the tournament, which starts on February 7.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) slated to start in March, players will be eager to prove their calibre to the selectors during the tournament. India will then host Afghanistan in June with one Test and three ODIs. India’s first away series of the calendar year will be in England in July, which will be in white-ball format, while the first red-ball assignment will be in Sri Lanka in August.

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India will then play Afghanistan again in an away series, with venues and dates yet to be finalised for September. The Indian team then hosts West Indies in a white-ball series before they also travel to Japan for the Asian Games, which will be played in T20I format.

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India’s last away series will be in New Zealand in November, which involves two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is before hosting Sri Lanka in December for three ODIs and three T20Is.

India's Schedule for 2026

About the Author

Parth Seth is a research fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, where he studies the themes of development, foreign policy, and multilateralism, particularly in ...Read More