2026 was always going to be a landmark year for Indian cricket, and it has delivered on that promise. With a home T20 World Cup, a full IPL season and a hectic run of bilateral series, Team India’s calendar has barely had a gap.
How the Year Started
India opened 2026 with a white-ball home series against New Zealand in January, before shifting focus to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Suryakumar Yadav’s side went on to win the title, a result we cover in full in our T20 World Cup 2026 recap.
IPL and the Post-Auction Season
The Indian Premier League ran from late March through May, with no international cricket scheduled around it. The season also reshaped India’s white-ball depth chart, a theme we explore in our look at the most valuable players from the 2026 IPL auction.
A Busy Second Half
- A two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August, India’s first assignment of the current World Test Championship cycle
- A white-ball tour of Bangladesh from September 1 to 13, featuring three ODIs and three T20Is
- The Asian Games in Aichi, Japan, from September 24 to October 3, where Shreyas Iyer leads India’s T20 squad
- A home series against West Indies from late September through mid-October, spanning three ODIs and five T20Is
- A home series against Sri Lanka in December closing out the international year
For the day-by-day detail on India’s next fixture, see our India next match tracker, and for the full global picture, our complete international cricket calendar for 2026-27.
Looking Ahead
Every match this year is effectively preparation for 2027, when India hosts Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and begins its build toward the next ODI World Cup cycle.