Published on: Mar 12, 2026 5:44 pm IST|Updated on: Mar 12, 2026 5:44 pm IST
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a power-packed schedule for the Indian team for the remainder of 2026. The jam-packed calendar for Team India in 2026 includes tours spanning multiple continents and formats, as well as the all-important Asian Games to be held in September in Nagoya, Japan. Like always, Team India is in the hot seat for playing multiple bilateral series along with a multi-nation tournament in the Asian Games 2026. Take a look at the announced schedule.
India’s white-ball tour of England will be one of the marquee assignments of the year. With three ODIs and five T20Is, the series will test India’s depth in limited-overs cricket. England’s conditions will challenge India’s batting lineup, while the bowlers will look to exploit swing-friendly pitches.
In addition to two scheduled Tests, India will play three T20Is in Sri Lanka as part of a fundraiser to support flood relief. This series underscores cricket’s role in humanitarian causes while giving India valuable match practice.
India will defend their men’s T20 gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya from September 25 to October 3. With the West Indies series overlapping, India may deploy a split squad, showcasing the depth of talent available.
Originally planned as a shorter series, India’s tour of New Zealand has been expanded to five ODIs, five T20Is, and two Tests. Running from October 18 to December 1, this will be one of the most comprehensive tours in recent years, testing India across formats in challenging Kiwi conditions.
The proposed Bangladesh tour remains subject to government clearance due to political tensions. If approved, it will add six more matches to India’s already packed calendar. It is to be noted that Bangladesh and India haven’t had the best of geopolitical relationships of late, ever since a religious outrage in Bangladesh turned into a global phenomenon. This led to Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman getting released from KKR squad despite getting big bucks during the IPL 2026 auctions.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board didn’t entertain this move from the BCCI and IPL governing council, as they boycotted the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026, which was co-hosted in India. With politics getting involved within the two cricket boards, it’s highly unlikely that Team India will travel to Bangladesh for the white-ball series.
With the 2027 ODI World Cup being a priority in this cycle, Team India is playing as many as 17 confirmed ODIs, which could set the roadmap for the upcoming marquee event in October-November 2027. With T20I cricket slowly and steadily taking over the other two beautiful formats of the game, it is surely a boon that Team India somehow gets a window to play as many as 17 ODIs till the end of 2026.
As far as Test matches are concerned, Team India will play a Test match on June 6 against Afghanistan at home. Their next assignment in whites will be in the coastal nation of Sri Lanka, where they will be playing 2 games in late July, which will be a litmus test for the Indian batters on the spin-friendly tracks of Sri Lanka. Their next Test series will take place in New Zealand, a 2-test match series to be played in November-December. Both these test series remain of utmost importance for the Indian team if they wish to keep their hopes alive of making it to the World Test Championship final in 2027.
The remainder of 2026 promises to be one of the busiest and most exciting years for Team India. With tours spanning Afghanistan, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, West Indies, and New Zealand, plus the Asian Games in Japan, India will play across formats almost non-stop.