12 matches, 40 days and a big test! India’s schedule for the historic tour of New Zealand released, will Rohit-Kohli create a stir again?

India’s 2026 New Zealand Tour Announced: IPL 2026 After this, big news has come for Indian cricket fans. The New Zealand Cricket Board has released the schedule for the 2026-27 domestic season, which also includes a long and high-profile tour of India. Team India will play a 12-match multi-format series in New Zealand between October and December 2026.

This tour includes five T20 Internationals, five ODIs and two Test matches. The special thing is that this will be the biggest tour of any foreign team in the history of New Zealand cricket, because for the first time a team will play 12 international matches there.

When will the Indian team play its first match?

The Indian team will start its tour on 22 October 2026 with the first T20 match in Christchurch. After the five-match T20 series, both the teams will play five ODI matches. After this, the tour will conclude with two Test matches in late November and early December.

Why is the ODI series against New Zealand important?

The ODI series against New Zealand is going to be very important in many ways. Before the 2027 ODI World Cup, both the teams will get a chance to finalize their preparations. Also cricket lovers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli We may get an opportunity to see him playing in ODI cricket again. Both the legendary players have retired from T20 and Test cricket. He is currently active only in ODI format.

When did India last tour New Zealand?

India last toured New Zealand and played a Test series in 2019-20. Since then the New Zealand team has visited India twice. Especially in the 2024-25 tour, New Zealand surprised the cricket world by registering a historic 3-0 victory in the Test series on Indian soil.

Talking about the T20 format, the last encounter between the two teams was in the final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. Earlier, at the beginning of the year, New Zealand had toured India, where it won the ODI series 2-1, but in the T20 series, India registered a resounding 4-1 victory.

What did the Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer of New Zealand Cricket Board say?

New Zealand Cricket Board’s Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Glenn Critchley said that there is no bigger attraction than India in terms of cricket. He expressed hope that the stadiums will be packed with the presence of stars like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah. This tour will not only be a celebration of cricket but also the culture, friendship and rivalry of the two countries.

Now the eyes of cricket fans are fixed on this much-awaited series, while on one hand India would like to strengthen its preparations for the 2027 World Cup, on the other hand New Zealand will try to give a tough challenge to Team India by taking advantage of its home conditions.

india vs new zealand 2026-27 series schedule

t20 series

• 22 October – 1st T20, Christchurch
• 24 October – 2nd T20, Christchurch
• 27 October – 3rd T20, Wellington
• 30 October – 4th T20, Auckland
• 1 November – 5th T20, Hamilton

ODI series

• 4 November – 1st ODI, Auckland
• 7 November – 2nd ODI, Wellington
• 10 November – 3rd ODI, Hamilton
• 13 November – 4th ODI, Tauranga
• 15 November – 5th ODI, Tauranga

test series

• 19-23 November – 1st Test, Wellington
• 27 November-1 December – 2nd Test, Christchurch