West Indies to kickstart India’s marathon home season in September
2026-03-27 - 01:03
NEW DELHI, India –The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled a packed home schedule for the 2026-27 season on Thursday, announcing that the Indian men’s team will play 22 international matches across 17 venues. The extensive season will feature five Tests, nine ODIs, and eight T20Is. The cricketing summer will begin with a white-ball series against the West Indies, comprising five One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals. The tour is set to commence on September 27 in Thiruvananthapuram and will conclude on October 17. According to the schedule released by the BCCI, the ODI leg of the West Indies series will take place in Thiruvananthapuram, Guwahati, and New Chandigarh. The T20I segment will be more expansive, with matches hosted across Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The fixture in Bengaluru marks a return to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which last hosted an international game in October 2024. Following the series against the Caribbean side, India will face Sri Lanka for three ODIs and three T20Is from December 13 to 27. The ODIs will be held in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad, while Rajkot, Cuttack, and Pune are slated to host the T20Is. Zimbabwe will then tour India in January for a three-match ODI series, with matches scheduled in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. India’s Test season at home will be highlighted by a marquee five-match series against Australia, running from January 21 to March 7. The Test venues have been confirmed as Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi, and Ahmedabad. Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, and Ranchi are the only centers set to host two international matches each during the course of the season. West Indies Tour of India – Full Schedule: September 27: 1st ODI – Thiruvananthapuram September 30: 2nd ODI – Guwahati October 3: 3rd ODI – New Chandigarh October 6: 1st T20I – Lucknow October 9: 2nd T20I – Ranchi October 11: 3rd T20I – Indore October 14: 4th T20I – Hyderabad October 17: 5th T20I – Bengaluru (CMC)