More than half of 2025 has passed, but the second half promises intense excitement for Indian cricket fans. The coming months will see India engaged in several crucial series across all three formats: Test, ODI, and T20.
Sports News: The Indian cricket team will kick off 2026 with a high-voltage home series. New Zealand will tour India for the first international series of the new year, featuring a total of eight matches—three ODIs and five T20 Internationals. The BCCI has shortlisted eight cities to host these highly anticipated matches, showcasing India's diversity and passion for cricket.
Interestingly, this series is considered a crucial part of the preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March.
Match Venues in India: Eight Potential Hosts
The India-New Zealand series matches will be played in Jaipur, Mohali, Indore, Rajkot, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, and Nagpur. According to BCCI sources, these cities were selected based on their infrastructure capabilities, weather conditions, spectator attendance, and the preparedness of the local associations. The ODI matches will be held in three of these cities, while the five T20Is will be distributed among the remaining five.
In accordance with the venue rotation policy, no city will host more than one match. The BCCI Apex Council will finalize this schedule during a virtual meeting scheduled for 4 PM on June 14th.
Packed 2025 Schedule, No Relief in 2026
- Team India will remain consistently busy with cricket until the end of 2025.
- Five-Test series in England starting June 20, 2025.
- Two Test matches against the West Indies in India.
- Tour of Australia in October-November (3 ODIs, 5 T20Is).
- South Africa's tour of India in November-December (all three formats).
Following this busy schedule, the start of 2026 will see India play this home series against New Zealand. This series will not only help players maintain match fitness but will also provide an opportunity to assess the bench strength ahead of the T20 World Cup.
India: Defending T20 World Cup Champions
It's noteworthy that India regained the T20 World Cup title in 2024 and will now host the 2026 edition as the defending champions. The home T20 series against New Zealand will give the team management an excellent opportunity to test young players and strategically deploy key players.
This series could allow the Indian team to finalize its core team just before the T20 World Cup. It will also be interesting to see whether senior players like Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli will be part of the T20I team.
Team India's Schedule for 2025
- June-August 2025: vs England - 5 Tests (WTC 2025-27) (Away)
- October 2025: vs West Indies - 2 Tests (WTC 2025-27) (Home)
- October-November 2025: vs Australia - 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is (Away)
- November-December 2025: vs South Africa - 2 Tests (WTC 2025-27), 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is (Home)
Team India's Schedule for 2026
- January 2026: vs New Zealand - 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is (Home)
- February-March 2026: T20 World Cup 2026 (India/Sri Lanka)
- June 2026: vs Afghanistan - 1 Test, 3 ODIs (Home)
- July 2026: vs England - 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is (Away)
