India Set for 12-Match New Zealand Tour, Bangladesh Women to Face White Ferns in December

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced its international home schedule for the 2026–27 season. The biggest attraction of the schedule is India’s tour of New Zealand in October and November, featuring 12 international matches across all three formats — the largest bilateral series ever hosted by New Zealand against a touring side.

According to the schedule, India and New Zealand will play five T20 Internationals, five One-Day Internationals, and two Test matches between October 22 and December 1. The tour will begin with the T20I series at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, followed by the ODI and Test series at various venues across the country. The first Test will start on November 19 at Basin Reserve in Wellington, while the second Test will begin on November 27 in Christchurch.

In recent years, the India–New Zealand rivalry has become one of the most compelling contests in international cricket. New Zealand’s victory in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final, the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final in 2021, and India’s subsequent successes in ICC tournaments have elevated the rivalry to new heights. In 2024, New Zealand made history by becoming the first team to whitewash India in a three-match Test series on Indian soil. Earlier this year, the Black Caps also secured their first-ever ODI series victory in India.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh women’s cricket team will tour New Zealand in December. The two sides will play three T20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals between December 10 and 23. The matches will be held in Nelson, Wellington, and Tauranga. It will be the White Ferns’ only home series of the summer. Currently preparing in England to defend their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title, New Zealand view the Bangladesh series as an important part of their build-up to the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy scheduled for February.

Sri Lanka will also tour New Zealand in January and February. The two teams will contest three ODIs, three T20Is, and two Test matches. This series will conclude New Zealand’s international home summer for the 2026–27 season.