New Zealand Cricket Announces Exciting International Home Season
New Zealand Cricket has revealed an exciting international home season that will see a high-profile three-format tour by India from October 22 until December 1. This series will feature five T20 Internationals, five One Day Internationals, and two Tests, spread across five major cities in New Zealand. The 12 matches scheduled will be the most internationals ever hosted by New Zealand in a single in-bound tour, marking a significant milestone for the sport in the country.
This tour will also be a historic event as it marks the first time since 2019 that India will play Test cricket in New Zealand. It is also their first white-ball assignment in the country since 2022, highlighting the significance of this encounter between two strong cricketing nations.
The New Zealand Government has expressed its support for the in-bound India tour, alongside other sporting tours by India later in the year. This initiative coincides with the commemoration of 100 years of sporting ties between New Zealand and India, further emphasizing the importance of this collaboration.
Key Matches and Venues
The tour will begin at Christchurch’s Hagley Oval, where back-to-back T20Is will be played on October 22 and 24. The Garden City will also host the second Test match starting on Friday, November 27. Wellington has been awarded the first Test match, which will take place on Thursday, November 19 at the Cello Basin Reserve, along with a T20I and ODI at Henry Stadium.
Auckland’s Eden Park and Hamilton’s Seddon Park will each host a T20I and ODI. Meanwhile, Tauranga’s Bay Oval will be the venue for games four and five of the ODI series.
Following the India tour, New Zealand will face Sri Lanka in three ODIs, three T20Is, and two Tests from January 16 into February. This will conclude the home international summer, which is set to include up to 41 days of international cricket across eight different cities in New Zealand.
Women’s Team Schedule
The women’s team, currently in England preparing to defend their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title, will host Bangladesh for three T20Is and three ODIs from December 10 to 23. This will be the White Ferns’ only home tour of the summer. The inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy (T20I) in Sri Lanka has been rescheduled for February, which means the side’s planned tour of Australia in February-March 2027 will be postponed.
Detailed Schedule
Men’s
India Tour of New Zealand
– 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
– 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
– 1st Test – 19-23 November, Wellington
– 2nd Test – 27 November-1 December 2026, Christchurch
Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand
– 1st ODI – 16 January, Napier
– 2nd ODI – 19 January, Wellington
– 3rd ODI – 22 January, Dunedin
– 1st T20I – 26 January, Christchurch
– 2nd T20I – 29 January, Nelson
– 3rd T20I – 31 January, Nelson
– 1st Test – 4-8 February, Mount Maunganui
– 2nd Test – 12-16 February, Hamilton
Women’s
Bangladesh Tour of New Zealand
– 1st T20I – 10 December, Nelson
– 2nd T20I – 12 December, Nelson
– 3rd T20I – 15 December, Wellington
– 1st ODI – 18 December, Wellington
– 3rd ODI – 23 December, Mount Maunganui
