The Indian men’s cricket team will open their 2026 calendar year with a host of limited-overs matches against New Zealand from the second week of January before they get into T20 World Cup action in February. The defending champions will open their campaign in Mumbai on February 7 and will have an interesting year ahead of them across forms and formats. Following the World Cup and the calendar break for the IPL 2026 edition, India’s commitments in the longer formats will take precedence, with the focus shifting to the 2027 ODI World Cup and their qualification path for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in the 2025-27 edition. According to the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), India are slated to play 49 matches in bi-lateral series across formats this year. This figure excludes the proposed tour of Bangladesh that is shelved indefinitely due to the political and communal tensions between the two nations. ALSO READ | Breaking down India ODI squad against New Zealand: No major surprises as Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer return; selectors keep faith in Rishabh Pant Starting January 11, India will play 18 ODIs this year. This includes three ODIs on a tour of Afghanistan in June 2026 post the IPL season, the concrete details of which remain unclear at the moment. India are also slotted to play three ODIs on an England tour in July before playing six games against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the second half of the year. India will also play the Kiwis again in three 50-over games in October on their New Zealand tour. With their Test health in serious decline, Shubman Gill’s side will aim to shore up their WTC credentials when they tour Sri Lanka for two matches in August and a subsequent tour to New Zealand, where they will play two more games. Overall, the Men in Blue will also play 20 T20Is by the end of the year before the 2026-27 calendar season ends with a home Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia in early 2027. India Men’s Cricket Schedule in 2026 – Full List January 2026 New Zealand tour of India India 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is June 2026 Afghanistan tour of India India 1 Test, 3 ODIs July 2026 England tour of India India 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is August 2026 India tour of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka 2 Tests September 2026 India tour of Afghanistan Afghanistan 3 T20 September-October 2026 West Indies tour of India India 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is October-November 2026 India tour of New Zealand New Zealand 2 Test, 3 ODI, 5 T20Is December 2026 Sri Lanka tour of India India 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is
India cricket schedule for 2026: Check full ODI, Test, T20I fixture list for Men in Blue this calendar year
