Year Ahead 2026: 11 Major Events and Series for Indian Cricket to Keep an Eye On

Following a triumphant 2025, Team India heads into a packed 2026 across men’s, women’s and U19 cricket. With Men’s and Women’s T20 World Cups, the U19 World Cup and key tours lined up, India have multiple chances to defend titles and script history.

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Major Events and Series Ahead for Team India in 2026

2025 has been a year of milestones and memorable moments for Indian Cricket, especially winning the Women’s ODI World Cup triumph, Men’s Champions Trophy, Women’s U19 World Cup, and Blind Women’s T20 World Cup. The historic achievements of Team India across all levels in men and women over the year have set the stage for an action-packed 2026.

With 2025 coming to an end, let’s take a look major events and series for Indian cricket to watch out for in 2026.

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1. U19 Men’s World Cup

The U19 Men’s World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place from January 15 to February 6, with 16 teams vying for the prestigious junior title. Team India, likely under the captaincy of Ayush Mhatre, will quest for the record-extending sixth triumph of the tournament. The Boys in Blue reached the final of the previous edition in 2024 but lost to fourth-time champions Australia in Benoni, South Africa.

India are clubbed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, the United States of America (USA), and New Zealand. The Indian colts will kick start their title quest against the USA at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on the opening day of the sixteenth edition of the U19 Men’s World Cup. After losing the Asia Cup final to Pakistan, the India U19 side will be eager to redeem themselves.

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2. T20I Series vs New Zealand

The senior Indian team will take on New Zealand in the five-match T20I series, starting January 22. The T20I series against the visiting New Zealand side is crucial for Team India as it is the final preparation before the T20 World Cup, which will take place in February. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue will look to fine-tune their combinations, assess their bench strength, and build momentum ahead of the marquee event.

Since the T20 World Cup triumph last year, Team India has maintained an unbeaten run in bilateral T20I series and continued their strong form by winning a five-match series 3-1 against South Africa, showcasing consistency and momentum ahead of the World Cup.

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3. Men’s T20 World Cup

One of the most important tournaments of the year for Indian cricket, the T20 World Cup 2026. The marquee event will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, beginning on February 7. The tournament will run till March 8, with 20 teams vying for the coveted title. The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the tournament, having won the title under the leadership of Rohit Sharma last year.

India are clubbed in Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will kick off their title defence in the opening group stage match against the USA on February 7. The Men in Blue have the opportunity in their hands to become the first team to defend the T20 World Cup and the first side to clinch the title on home soil.

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4. India Women’s Tour of Australia

The Indian women’s team will travel to Australia for a Test match, three ODIs, and as many T20Is from February 15 to March 9. This will be the first face-off between the two teams since the Women’s ODI World Cup semifinal, where Team India defeated the then-defending champions Australia to seal their berth in the final.

The tour of Australia is crucial for the Women in Blue as they aim to clinch their first-ever ODI series win Down Under, while they will eye the first T20I series win since 2016 on Australian soil. Moreover, the India Women will look to script a historic Test win on Australian soil, a feat that has eluded them so far and would mark a major milestone in the growth of Indian women’s cricket.

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5. India Men’s ODI Series vs England

Team India will tour England for the white-ball series, which includes three ODI matches and five T20Is in July. However, the three-match ODI series is crucial for Team India as it is part of their preparations for the 2027 World Cup, which will take place in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. With senior players including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli expected to feature in the ODI leg of the white-ball series, India aims to fine-tune their strategies, test combinations, and build momentum ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

The Men in Blue won the ODI series only twice in England in 1990 and 2022, making the upcoming July series a challenging opportunity to improve their overseas white-ball record. This will be India’s first tour of England since the Test series on English soil, where the Shubman Gill-led side pulled off a 2-2 series draw this year.

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6. India’s Away Test Series against Sri Lanka

Team India will resume their ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle with a two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka. This will be the first Test series for Team India since the whitewash at the hands of South Africa in November this year. The Test series against Sri Lanka is crucial for India as they look to gain vital WTC points and strengthen their position in the championship standings, and increase their realistic chances of qualifying for the final.

India are currently sitting at the sixth spot with four wins, as many losses, and two draws, and have a PTC of 48.15% from nine matches. With nine more matches left, including two against Sri Lanka, in the ongoing WTC cycle, India aim to boost their PCT and stay in contention for the WTC final.

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7. India Women’s T20I Series vs England

The Indian women’s team will travel to England for the three-match T20I series in late May. The Women in Blue, who recently clinched their maiden World Cup, will utilise this T20I series as a warm-up preparation for the Women’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in June, India, likely to be led by Harmanpreet Kaur, will use the England T20Is to test their combinations and bench strength ahead of the marquee event.

This year, India clinched the T20I and ODI series against England on English soil, boosting their confidence ahead of the upcoming T20I series and the T20 World Cup 2026, which will take place in England.

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8. Women’s T20 World Cup

Another major tournament for Indian cricket after the U19 Men’s World Cup and T20 World Cup is the Women’s T20 World Cup. The marquee event will take place from June 12 to July 5, with 12 teams vying for the prestigious title in England. The Women in Blue will aim for the T20 World Cup triumph after having won the ODI World Cup title this year.

India are clubbed in Group A alongside Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, and two teams that will qualify through the global qualifiers. India will begin their quest for the maiden T20 World Cup triumph against arch-rivals Pakistan at Edgbaston in Birmingham on June 14.

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9. Asia Games 2026

India men and women are the defending champions of the Asia Games cricket, winning their respective gold medals by defeating Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the final, respectively. Cricket returned to Asia Games for the first time since 2014 in 2023, with India making a strong comeback by clinching gold medals in both the men’s and women’s events.

For the first time since 2014, cricket will feature at the Asia Games for the second consecutive edition, with India aiming to defend their gold medals in both the men’s and women’s competitions. This will be a significant boost for Team India as cricket is all set to return to the Olympics after 128 years at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

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10. India’s Away Test Series against New Zealand

Team India will have another away Test series against New Zealand in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle next year. The last time India toured New Zealand for the Test series was in 2021, which Team India won 1-0 after winning the second Test. India and New Zealand will face off for the first time in the Test series since the Kiwis whitewashed 3-0 on Indian soil in October last year, making the series a key chance for India to bounce back.

This is also an important Test series for Team India in order to boost their chances of WTC Final qualification before facing Australia in the five-match Test series against Australia in early January. This results in New Zealand could play a decisive role in shaping India’s WTC final hopes.

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11. India Women’s One-Off Test vs England at Lord’s

Apart from the T20I series against England in May, Team India is also scheduled to play a one-off Test match at the iconic venue Lord’s. The Lord’s was the first venue where the Indian men’s team played their first ever Test match under the captaincy of Col. CK Nayudu in June 1932. London’s iconic cricket venue will be hosting the first-ever women’s Test match with a one-off Test between England and India in July.

India will look to make history by delivering a strong performance in the landmark women’s Test at the iconic venue. Indian women have played ODI and T20I series at Lord’s, but playing a Test match is set to be a historic moment as the side will be part of the venue’s rich Test legacy, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of Indian women’s cricket.