India Cricket 2026 Schedule: Men And Women International Fixtures And World Cup

This article outlines India's 2026 cricket calendar across men and women, detailing home and away series, T20 World Cup participation, and key tours. It highlights demand on squads and the progression toward 2027 global events, with emphasis on fixtures, venues and dates.

Indian cricket enters 2026 with packed calendars for both men's and women's teams after a dramatic 2025, which saw the Champions Trophy 2025 win, the women's first ODI World Cup crown, and Test farewells for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Fans now turn from those emotional highs and lows towards a year full of global events and long tours.

The new year brings a heavy workload across formats. The men's side opens with New Zealand at home before chasing back-to-back T20 World Cups. India women's cricket team moves from a multi-format tour of Australia into a T20 World Cup in England, followed by a rare Test at Lord's and several bilateral series across continents.

India cricket 2026 schedule: men's international season overview

The men's schedule for 2026 stretches from January to December, with fixtures at home and overseas in every format. After starting against New Zealand, India head into the T20 World Cup 2026, then host Afghanistan, tour England, travel to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and welcome West Indies and Sri Lanka again, with an Afghanistan T20I series also planned at neutral or home venues.

That workload arrives after a memorable 2025. India lifted the Champions Trophy 2025 and drew 2-2 in an away Test series against England with a younger batting group. However, fans also watched a Test series loss in South Africa and mixed Border-Gavaskar results, plus the emotional exits of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket.

India cricket 2026 schedule: New Zealand home series and T20 World Cup

The first assignment of 2026 is a white-ball home series against New Zealand from 11 January. India and New Zealand play three ODIs in Vadodara, Rajkot and Indore, followed by five T20Is across Nagpur, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Thiruvananthapuram, giving selectors a long look at combinations before the T20 World Cup in February and March.

India then chase history at the T20 World Cup 2026 in February, aiming to become the first team to defend the title. Group fixtures include USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 7 February, Namibia in Delhi on 12 February, Pakistan in Colombo on 15 February, and Netherlands in Ahmedabad on 18 February, before Super 8 and knockout matches from 21 February to 8 March if India qualify.

India cricket 2026 schedule: mid-year men's tours and home series

After the World Cup, Afghanistan tour India in June 2026 for three ODIs and a solitary Test. Attention then shifts to a long white-ball tour of England in July, where India play five T20Is across Durham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton, followed by three ODIs in Birmingham, Cardiff and London at Lord's.

The back half of the men's India cricket 2026 schedule includes a Test series in Sri Lanka in August, counted in the World Test Championship, with dates to be confirmed. September features three T20Is against Afghanistan, either in Afghanistan or at neutral grounds, and a home series against West Indies from September to October with three ODIs and five T20Is, with exact dates and venues still pending.

India close the men's year with back-to-back series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The tour of New Zealand between October and November 2026 comprises two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is, with fixtures yet to be finalised. In December 2026, Sri Lanka visit India for three ODIs and three T20Is, and that campaign may run into January 2027 as scheduling is confirmed.

India cricket 2026 schedule: women's tours and ICC events

The Women in Blue enter 2026 as reigning ODI World Cup winners and first-time senior ICC champions, after also seeing the U19 women's side defend the U19 World Cup crown in Malaysia. That success shapes expectations for a year that includes two away tours, a T20 World Cup in England and multiple home series extending into early 2027.

The women's India cricket 2026 schedule starts with a demanding tour of Australia from February to March. India Women play three T20Is on 15, 19 and 21 February in Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide. The teams then meet in three ODIs on 24 and 27 February and 1 March in Brisbane and Hobart, before a lone Test in Perth from 6 to 9 March.

From late May to early June, India Women head to England for a short WT20I series as another tune-up for global competition. Three WT20Is are scheduled on 28 May, 30 May and 2 June 2026, with matches at venues including Chelmsford, Bristol and Taunton, forming a key lead-in to the ICC Women's T20 World Cup hosted by England and Wales.

India cricket 2026 schedule: ICC Women's T20 World Cup and later fixtures

The ICC Women's T20 World Cup runs from 12 June to 5 July 2026 in England and Wales, with India Women placed in the group stage. Their matches feature Pakistan in Birmingham on 14 June, a fixture in Leeds against a yet-to-be-named opponent on 17 June, South Africa in Manchester on 21 June, another TBA side in Manchester on 25 June, and Australia at Lord's on 28 June.

Immediately after the World Cup, India Women stay in England for a one-off Test at Lord's from 10 to 13 July 2026, a historic fixture against England Women. Later in the year, Zimbabwe Women tour India in October for three ODIs and three T20Is, ahead of a home series versus South Africa Women from December 2026 into January 2027 featuring one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is.

For Indian cricket followers, 2026 brings continuous stories to track after a landmark 2025 season. The men's team juggle title defence hopes and World Test Championship duties, while the women's side seek to add a T20 world crown to their ODI success. Across formats, both squads carry heavy schedules that will shape squads heading towards 2027 global events.