The BCCI confirmed India’s home international season for 2026-27 in a media advisory on 26 March 2026, and it is a substantial one: 22 international matches across 17 cities, with four visiting teams — West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Australia.
It opens with the West Indies on 27 September 2026 and closes with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a five-Test series against Australia running from 21 January to 3 March 2027. This page carries the complete fixture list — every date, venue and start time as published by the BCCI — along with what is actually at stake across the season.
The season at a glance
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Total international matches | 22 |
| Cities | 17 |
| Visiting teams | West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Australia |
| Season opens | 27 September 2026, Trivandrum |
| Season closes | 3 March 2027, Ahmedabad |
| Formats | 5 Tests, 9 ODIs, 8 T20Is |
| Marquee series | Border-Gavaskar Trophy — 5 Tests v Australia |
One point worth noting immediately: there are no home Tests until January. The first four months are entirely white-ball cricket, and then the season ends with five consecutive Tests. That is an unusual shape, and it concentrates all of India’s home red-ball cricket into a six-week block.
West Indies tour of India — September and October 2026
Three ODIs followed by five T20Is, spread across eight cities. This is the season opener.
| # | Date | Match | Venue | Start (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun 27 Sep 2026 | 1st ODI | Trivandrum | 2:00 PM |
| 2 | Wed 30 Sep 2026 | 2nd ODI | Guwahati | 2:00 PM |
| 3 | Sat 3 Oct 2026 | 3rd ODI | New Chandigarh | 2:00 PM |
| 4 | Tue 6 Oct 2026 | 1st T20I | Lucknow | 7:00 PM |
| 5 | Fri 9 Oct 2026 | 2nd T20I | Ranchi | 7:00 PM |
| 6 | Sun 11 Oct 2026 | 3rd T20I | Indore | 7:00 PM |
| 7 | Wed 14 Oct 2026 | 4th T20I | Hyderabad | 7:00 PM |
| 8 | Sat 17 Oct 2026 | 5th T20I | Bengaluru | 7:00 PM |
A five-match T20I series is longer than the modern norm and points to squad-building rather than a marquee contest. Note also that the ODIs are day fixtures at 2:00 PM while the T20Is are evening games at 7:00 PM — several websites list the ODI starts incorrectly, so the BCCI advisory is the figure to trust.
Sri Lanka tour of India — December 2026
A white-ball series of three ODIs and three T20Is, filling the December window.
| # | Date | Match | Venue | Start (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun 13 Dec 2026 | 1st ODI | Delhi | 2:00 PM |
| 2 | Wed 16 Dec 2026 | 2nd ODI | Bengaluru | 2:00 PM |
| 3 | Sat 19 Dec 2026 | 3rd ODI | Ahmedabad | 2:00 PM |
| 4 | Tue 22 Dec 2026 | 1st T20I | Rajkot | 7:00 PM |
| 5 | Thu 24 Dec 2026 | 2nd T20I | Cuttack | 7:00 PM |
| 6 | Sun 27 Dec 2026 | 3rd T20I | Pune | 7:00 PM |
India also tour Sri Lanka for two Tests in August 2026, so the two sides meet twice inside five months in different formats and different countries — our India v Sri Lanka Test preview covers the away leg.
Zimbabwe tour of India — January 2027
A short three-match ODI series to open the new year.
| # | Date | Match | Venue | Start (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 1st ODI | Kolkata | 2:00 PM |
| 2 | Wed 6 Jan 2027 | 2nd ODI | Hyderabad | 2:00 PM |
| 3 | Sat 9 Jan 2027 | 3rd ODI | Mumbai | 2:00 PM |
Three ODIs at Eden Gardens, Hyderabad and the Wankhede is a strong set of venues for a short series, and the timing places it directly before the Australia Tests.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy — January to March 2027
The centrepiece. Five Tests against Australia, running from 21 January to 3 March 2027 across five cities.
| Test | From | To | Venue | Start (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Thu 21 Jan 2027 | Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Nagpur | 9:30 AM |
| 2nd | Fri 29 Jan 2027 | Tue 2 Feb 2027 | Chennai | 9:30 AM |
| 3rd | Thu 11 Feb 2027 | Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Guwahati | 9:00 AM |
| 4th | Fri 19 Feb 2027 | Tue 23 Feb 2027 | Ranchi | 9:30 AM |
| 5th | Sat 27 Feb 2027 | Wed 3 Mar 2027 | Ahmedabad | 9:30 AM |
Two details stand out. The third Test at Guwahati starts at 9:00 AM rather than 9:30 — the only fixture in the season with a different start time, reflecting how much earlier the light fades in the northeast. And Guwahati hosting a Border-Gavaskar Test at all is a significant step for a venue that has only recently entered the Test roster.
The gap between the second and third Tests is also notable: Chennai finishes on 2 February and Guwahati does not begin until 11 February, a nine-day break in the middle of a five-match series.
Why the Border-Gavaskar Trophy carries extra weight this time
Beyond the rivalry, there is a table involved. The ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle closes in January 2027, and standings are ranked by percentage of available points won.
| Pos | Team | M | W | L | D | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 87.50 |
| 2 | South Africa | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 72.22 |
| 4 | Bangladesh | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 58.33 |
| 5 | India | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 48.15 |
India sit fifth on 48.15% after nine matches, with a home defeat to South Africa in November 2025 the result that cost most. Australia lead on 87.50%. Five home Tests against the side at the top of the table is the largest single block of points still available to India in this cycle.
We are not offering a view on how that resolves — no page on this site does. The point is structural: the season’s final six weeks carry disproportionate weight in a championship that is nearly over.
All 17 host cities
Seventeen cities is a deliberately wide spread, and several are not regular international venues.
| Region | Cities |
|---|---|
| North | Delhi, New Chandigarh, Lucknow |
| West | Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Rajkot, Indore, Nagpur |
| South | Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum |
| East & Northeast | Kolkata, Cuttack, Ranchi, Guwahati |
New Chandigarh and Guwahati are the two worth watching. New Chandigarh’s Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium has recently taken over from Mohali as Punjab’s principal venue, and Guwahati hosts both an ODI in September and a Border-Gavaskar Test in February — a considerable elevation for a ground that was not long ago outside the Test rotation.
Trivandrum and Cuttack are also relatively infrequent hosts, which makes this season a genuine spread rather than the usual rotation of six or seven major venues. Our venue guide covers the characteristics of India’s better-known grounds.
Understanding the start times
Three patterns run through the whole season, and knowing them saves checking each fixture individually.
| Format | Start (IST) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Test | 9:30 AM | Standard, maximising available daylight |
| Test at Guwahati | 9:00 AM | Light fades earlier in the northeast |
| ODI | 2:00 PM | Day-night; second innings under lights |
| T20I | 7:00 PM | Evening fixture, prime-time |
The 2:00 PM ODI start means the second innings is played under lights, which introduces dew as a factor at several venues — particularly in the north during the cooler months. It is one of the genuine home-conditions variables in Indian white-ball cricket, and it affects how captains approach the toss.
How the home season fits India’s wider calendar
The home fixtures are only part of the year. India also tour, and those windows sit between the home blocks.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 15–27 Aug 2026 | 2 Tests v Sri Lanka | Away — Galle, Colombo |
| 27 Sep – 17 Oct 2026 | 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is v West Indies | Home |
| Oct–Dec 2026 | T20Is, ODIs and Tests v New Zealand | Away |
| 13–27 Dec 2026 | 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is v Sri Lanka | Home |
| 3–9 Jan 2027 | 3 ODIs v Zimbabwe | Home |
| 21 Jan – 3 Mar 2027 | 5 Tests v Australia | Home |
The New Zealand tour is the one that complicates things. It overlaps the home window, running from October into December, which means squad rotation across formats is likely to be heavy. Our India cricket schedule guide explains how these windows are constructed and why the monsoon dictates so much of the shape.
Domestic cricket running alongside
Underneath the internationals, the domestic season runs continuously and feeds the national side.
- Duleep Trophy — August to September 2026.
- Irani Cup — October 2026.
- Ranji Trophy — October 2026 to March 2027, the first-class championship.
- Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — November to December 2026, the domestic T20 competition.
- Vijay Hazare Trophy — December 2026 to January 2027, the 50-over competition.
- Women’s domestic and India A fixtures run through the same window.
The Ranji Trophy in particular matters this season. With five home Tests in January and February, domestic red-ball form through October to December is the most visible route into a Test squad — which is precisely how Saransh Jain earned a maiden call-up for the Sri Lanka tour.
Tickets and attending
A season spread across 17 cities means a lot of people will be within reach of an international fixture, so a few practical notes.
- Tickets are sold per venue, generally through the host state association’s appointed partner — there is no single national ticket shop.
- Sales usually open a few weeks before each match, not season-wide.
- Test tickets are far easier to obtain than T20I tickets, and often cheaper.
- Weekend T20Is clear fastest — the Bengaluru and Hyderabad fixtures are the ones to plan ahead for.
- Buy only through the official channel for that venue, and never pay an individual directly.
- Check the venue’s own rules on ID, bag restrictions and re-entry, which vary by ground.
The scam patterns around sold-out cricket are consistent and worth knowing before you need to; our ticket-buying guide sets them out in full.
Weather across the season
Seven months spanning three seasons produces genuinely different playing conditions from start to finish.
- Late September — the monsoon is retreating; Trivandrum and Guwahati can still see rain.
- October — generally the most reliable weather of the season across most of the country.
- December — cool in the north, with dew a significant second-innings factor at Delhi.
- January — fog is a genuine risk in the north; Kolkata and Nagpur can be affected.
- February to March — warming rapidly; Ahmedabad in early March can be hot.
- Guwahati in February — the early start reflects light rather than heat.
Women’s cricket in the same window
The men’s home season is not the whole picture. India’s women have their own fixtures across the period, including a tour of South Africa in December 2026 featuring a Test alongside white-ball matches, and a home series against Zimbabwe in October 2026.
Before either, the Women’s T20 Asia Cup runs in Dubai from 28 August to 13 September 2026, with India in Group A alongside Pakistan, Hong Kong and Thailand. It is the most immediate India fixture of any kind after the Sri Lanka Tests.
The short version
India’s home international season 2026-27 runs from 27 September 2026 to 3 March 2027: 22 matches, 17 cities, four visiting teams. West Indies open it with three ODIs and five T20Is, Sri Lanka visit in December for six white-ball matches, Zimbabwe play three ODIs in early January, and Australia close the season with the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy from 21 January to 3 March.
Start times are consistent by format — 9:30 AM for Tests, 2:00 PM for ODIs, 7:00 PM for T20Is — with the Guwahati Test the single exception at 9:00 AM. The season carries unusual weight because the World Test Championship cycle closes in January 2027 with India fifth on 48.15%, and five home Tests against table-topping Australia represent the bulk of the points still available. For more see our cricket betting ID page, the India cricket schedule guide and the 2027 ODI World Cup guide.
What a five-Test home series demands
Five Tests in six weeks is among the most demanding assignments in cricket, and the Border-Gavaskar schedule compresses it further with two blocks of back-to-back matches.
| Gap | Between | Days off |
|---|---|---|
| 1st to 2nd Test | Nagpur to Chennai | 3 |
| 2nd to 3rd Test | Chennai to Guwahati | 8 |
| 3rd to 4th Test | Guwahati to Ranchi | 3 |
| 4th to 5th Test | Ranchi to Ahmedabad | 3 |
Three of the four gaps are three days — effectively a travel day and two of recovery. That is a heavy rotation for fast bowlers in particular, and it is the main reason squads for home Test series now carry more seam-bowling depth than the playing eleven would suggest.
The nine-day gap in the middle is the exception, and it falls between the two most geographically distant venues on the list. Chennai to Guwahati is close to the full diagonal of the country.
The West Indies series in context
Eight white-ball matches against West Indies is a substantial opening block, and the shape of it says something about its purpose.
Five T20Is is longer than the modern standard, which is usually three. Longer T20I series are generally about looking at players rather than settling a rivalry, and with the tournament calendar what it is, a five-match series in October gives selectors a lot of cricket to work with before the season’s serious business begins in January.
The venues reinforce that reading. Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru is a spread of second-tier and first-tier grounds rather than a concentration of marquee venues — the pattern of a developmental series rather than a showpiece one.
New Chandigarh and Guwahati: two venues on the rise
Most of the seventeen host cities are familiar. Two are worth watching specifically.
New Chandigarh hosts the third ODI against West Indies on 3 October. The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium has recently become Punjab’s principal venue, taking over from the long-established Mohali ground — it is also now the IPL home of Punjab Kings, as our venue guide notes.
Guwahati is the more striking case. It hosts an ODI against West Indies on 30 September and then a Border-Gavaskar Test in February — a substantial elevation for a ground that only recently entered the Test rotation. Hosting Australia in a five-match series is about as strong a signal of confidence in a venue as the BCCI can give.
Dew, fog and the December-to-February window
Weather does not merely interrupt cricket in this window — it shapes how matches are played.
- Dew in December makes the ball difficult to grip in the second innings, which affects spinners most and can make chasing meaningfully easier at northern venues.
- The 2:00 PM ODI start puts the second innings squarely in the dew window at Delhi in mid-December.
- Fog in January is a genuine risk in the north and east — Kolkata’s ODI on 3 January and Nagpur’s Test from 21 January both sit in that period.
- Ahmedabad in early March can be hot enough to be a physical factor across five days.
- Guwahati’s 9:00 AM start in February exists precisely because usable light runs out earlier there.
For anyone planning to attend, those are practical considerations rather than trivia: a December evening in Delhi and a March afternoon in Ahmedabad are very different experiences of watching cricket.
Between the home blocks India also tour New Zealand. Our New Zealand tour preview covers all twelve matches, and the Sri Lanka December series preview and Border-Gavaskar Trophy preview cover the home fixtures that follow.
The season’s shortest series is also its most unusual: the Zimbabwe tour of India 2027 brings three ODIs to Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai in the first week of January, against a side that will co-host the World Cup nine months later.
Behind the international fixtures sits the domestic game — the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 from 23 August and the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 from 11 October, which is where most of these players were developed.
This is an editorial guide from the team at Readdy Anna Cricket, compiled from the BCCI’s official fixture announcement. It covers schedules and venues only — we do not publish odds, tips, predictions or win probabilities. Fixtures and venues can change; confirm against BCCI before booking travel or tickets. Readdy Anna Cricket is for adults 18 and over. Online gaming laws in India changed under the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 and vary by state — check the rules where you live. Free confidential support is listed on our responsible gaming page.