Few sporting announcements generate the kind of buzz that an all-format India tour produces, and New Zealand Cricket delivered precisely that on 3 June 2026. NZC officially launched the 2026/27 International Home Schedule at the International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation in Papatoetoe, Auckland, with BLACKCAPS home-town hero Ish Sodhi and WHITE FERNS spinner Eden Carson joining local community members and Minister for Sport and Recreation Mark Mitchell at the event. The occasion carried a wider significance too, given that 2026 marks 100 years of sporting ties between New Zealand and India, a centenary the New Zealand Government actively supports alongside adjacent sporting tours planned later in the year.
Against that backdrop, the New Zealand vs India 2026 series arrives as more than a bilateral fixture.
New Zealand Vs India 2026: A Record-Breaking Tour
Team India takes on the BLACKCAPS in five T20Is, five ODIs, and two Tests across five major centres, and the 12 matches represent the most internationals ever scheduled for an inbound tour in NZC history. Furthermore, the tour marks the first time since 2019 that India will play Test cricket in New Zealand, as well as their first white-ball assignment in the country since 2022. The series also carries significant personal importance for the veteran Indian pair, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who feature in the ODI leg, could be making their final visit to New Zealand as international cricketers.
Christchurch's Hagley Oval opens the tour with back-to-back T20Is on October 22 and 24, while Wellington's Cello Basin Reserve hosts the first Test from November 19 to 23. Auckland's Eden Park and Hamilton's Seddon Park both receive a T20I and an ODI, and Tauranga's Bay Oval hosts games four and five of the ODI series.
Full New Zealand Vs India 2026 Schedule:
T20I Series:
- 1st T20I: 22 October, Christchurch
- 2nd T20I: 24 October, Christchurch
- 3rd T20I: 27 October, Wellington
- 4th T20I: 30 October, Auckland
- 5th T20I: 1 November, Hamilton
ODI Series:
- 1st ODI: 4 November, Auckland
- 2nd ODI: 7 November, Wellington
- 3rd ODI: 10 November, Hamilton
- 4th ODI: 13 November, Mount Maunganui
- 5th ODI: 15 November, Mount Maunganui
Test Series (WTC 2025-27):
- 1st Test: 19-23 November, Wellington
- 2nd Test: 27 November-1 December, Christchurch
Notably, the ODI leg hands both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli two additional matches relative to earlier scheduling projections, as the expanded five-match format goes beyond what previous tour outlines suggested. All matches in the series will be broadcast on Sky New Zealand as the tour marks the return of Sky as NZC's host broadcaster.
The home summer could encompass up to 41 days of international cricket played across eight different cities in New Zealand. Taken together, this edition of New Zealand vs India 2026 sets a new standard for bilateral cricket between the two nations, and both sets of supporters have every reason to anticipate an extraordinary summer ahead.
