BCCI Unveils 2026-27 Home Schedule: Bengaluru to Host International Cricket After Hiatus

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the schedule for senior men’s international home matches for the 2026-27 season, which features an exciting, action-packed schedule with four visiting teams, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Australia, across multiple formats. The Men in Blue will play 22 international matches across 17 cities, giving fans nationwide the chance to see top-tier international cricket.

Notably, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru is set to host international games for the first time since October 2024, when India played New Zealand in the first Test of a five-match series. The Karnataka State Cricket Association announced that the venue had received the government’s permission to host Indian Premier League and international games.

Cricket at the venue had been suspended in June 2025 following a stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden title celebrations, which resulted in 11 deaths and multiple injuries.

Additionally, a key highlight of the announcement is that the Barsapara Cricket Stadium (ACA Stadium) in Guwahati will host a Border-Gavaskar series Test for the first time. In November 2025, the venue hosted its first-ever red-ball game since its establishment in 2012, when South Africa toured India for a multi-format series, making the upcoming BGT Test only the second red-ball game to be played there.

The season kicks off with the West Indies’ tour of India (September 27 to October 17). It will include a three-match ODI series, followed by a five-match T20I series. The ODIs will be held in Trivandrum, Guwahati, and New Chandigarh, while the T20Is will take place in Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.

India will host Sri Lanka for a white-ball series featuring three ODIs and three T20Is from December 13 to 27. The ODIs will be held in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad, while the T20Is are scheduled in Rajkot, Cuttack, and Pune.

In recent years, Delhi has faced intense air pollution during winters, notably affecting players during the 2017 India-Sri Lanka Test, where some experienced breathing issues and nausea.

Last year, the BCCI initially scheduled a Test against the West Indies in Kolkata in October and another against South Africa in Delhi in November. These tests were eventually rescheduled so that Delhi could host the match before pollution levels rise around Diwali.

At the beginning of the new year, Zimbabwe will visit India for a three-match ODI series from January 3 to 9, with games scheduled to take place in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Mumbai.

The season will conclude with the highly esteemed and eagerly awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia from January 21 to March 3. The first match of the highly anticipated Test series will be held in Nagpur.

The series will then proceed to Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi, and Ahmedabad, offering an exciting competition between two of the top teams in international cricket. IANS

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