2026 is poised to be a historic and extremely exciting year for international cricket. This year will feature both the men's and women's ICC T20 World Cup 2026, several major bilateral series, historic Test matches, and crucial between the world's top teams. This 2026 Cricket Calendar guide gives you all the major tournaments, match dates, India tours, England home series, women's cricket highlights and all the important updates all in one place.
Cricket schedule 2026
The cricket schedule in 2026 stretches from January to December. The year includes T20Is, ODIs, Test matches, women's cricket tournaments, and several special international series. The men’s and women’s Indian cricket teams will compete in multiple bilateral series at home and away, spanning across all three formats this year.
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The Indian men’s cricket team will open the year with a white-ball home series against New Zealand in January, featuring five T20Is and three ODIs. Attention will then quickly turn to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil in February-March, where Suryakumar Yadav-led India will look to defend the title they lifted in 2024 under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 will dominate India’s cricket calendar from March to May, with no international fixtures scheduled during the window. The Indian men’s cricket team will also play at least four red-ball matches as part of their ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, with two-Test away series’ each against Sri Lanka and New Zealand scheduled for the second half of the year.
Women's international schedule will see some historic matches
The Women’s Premier League (WPL), meanwhile, is scheduled for January-February instead of February-March like last year. The WPL will be followed by the Indian women’s cricket team’s all-format overseas tour of Australia before the focus shifts to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England and Wales in June-July.
Following the T20 World Cup, India and England will make history by featuring in the first-ever women’s Test match at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. The venue has hosted several high-profile cricket matches, including World Cup finals. However, it will be the first time that Lord's will host a women's Test match.
Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams will also aim to defend their gold medals at the Asian Games 2026, set to be staged in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4.
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Let's have a look at the full cricket schedule in 2026.
Cricket Schedule in 2026
Indian Men’s Cricket Team
| Dates | Tour/series/event | Host country | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 11-31 | India vs New Zealand | India | 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs |
| February 7-March 8 | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | India | T20Is |
| June (dates to be announced) | India vs Afghanistan | India | 1 Test, 3 ODIs |
| July 1-19 | England vs India | England | 5 T20Is, 3 ODIs |
| August (dates to be announced) | Sri Lanka vs India | Sri Lanka | 2 Tests |
| September (dates to be announced) | Afghanistan vs India | TBD | 3 T20Is |
| September-October (dates to be announced) | India vs West Indies | India | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is |
| September 19-October 4 | Asian Games 2026 | Japan | T20Is |
| October-November (dates to be announced) | New Zealand vs India | New Zealand | 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is |
| December (dates to be announced) | India vs Sri Lanka | India | 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is |
Indian Women’s Cricket Team
| Dates | Tour/series/event | Host country | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 15-March 9 | Australia vs India | Australia | 1 Test, 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs |
| May 28-June 2 | England vs India | England | 3 T20Is |
| Jun 12-July 5 | ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 | England and Wales | T20Is |
| July 10-13 | England vs India | England | 1 Test |
| September 19-October 4 | Asian Games 2026 | Japan | T20Is |
