The biggest tour in New Zealand's history
Here is where things stand. India will tour New Zealand from October 22 to December 1, 2026, for a record 12-match series comprising five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. The sequence runs white-ball first, red-ball last.
The 12 matches would be the highest ever featuring a touring side in New Zealand's history. Five centres share the load, and the whole thing doubles as a marker. The series is a landmark as the two countries celebrate 100 years of sporting ties.
A tour this long keeps fans busy for weeks across broadcasters, fantasy platforms and Betting sites, all of which will cover every format from the opening T20I to the final Test. That coverage footprint is part of why a 40-day assignment registers the way it does.
Five T20Is to start
The 40-day tour begins with the opening T20I in Christchurch on October 22. Hagley Oval hosts the first two matches, on 22 and 24 October, before the caravan moves north.
There is history worth flagging in this leg. The two sides met in the 2026 T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad on 8 March, where India won by 96 runs to lift the title. New Zealand arrive with that result still fresh, making the T20Is an early rematch rather than a warm-up.
From Christchurch the T20Is head to Wellington on 27 October, then Auckland's Eden Park on 30 October, and close at Hamilton's Seddon Park on 1 November. For anyone tracking the opener, a breakdown of the first T20I squad and match details adds the lineup context around that Christchurch start.
Five ODIs with an eye on 2027
The 50-over leg carries the most forward-looking weight. The ODI series starts at Eden Park in Auckland on November 4.
From Auckland the ODIs run to Wellington on 7 November and Hamilton on 10 November, with Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval staging the final two on 13 and 15 November. Spreading the matches this way gives both squads a spell across different conditions in a short window.
The reason to watch closely is the calendar beyond this tour. The 2027 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup will be the 14th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from 2 October to 21 November 2027. With that in mind, these five matches are among the few 50-over outings India get on the road before the event, so combinations settled here could carry through.
Recent form between the sides adds an edge. When New Zealand toured India in January 2026, New Zealand won the 3-match ODI series two to one, so the visitors will want a response in the longer white-ball format.
Two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch
The red-ball cricket closes the tour and carries its own significance. The Test series starts at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from November 19 to 23, while the second and final Test is played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.
Two Tests is a short series by modern standards, but the stakes sit in the World Test Championship cycle, where every result counts toward standings. Wellington's Basin Reserve and Christchurch's Hagley Oval tend to offer pace and movement, conditions that have tested Indian batting lineups in the past.
India's return to Test cricket in New Zealand
The part that often gets missed is how long it has been. The tour marks India's first Test series in New Zealand since 2019, and their first white-ball assignment in the country since 2022.
That gap frames the whole red-ball leg. When New Zealand Cricket unveiled its 2026-27 home schedule, the India fixtures stood out as the centrepiece of the summer. According to NZC, as detailed in coverage of the NZC home season announcement, the 12-match series is the largest inbound international tour ever hosted by the board, surpassing all previous records.
The Christchurch venue does double duty across the tour. The action begins at Christchurch's Hagley Oval, which hosts the first two T20Is on October 22 and 24, and the city also stages the second Test from November 27 to December 1. Few touring sides open and close a trip in the same city, which gives the schedule a neat bookend.
Key dates for fans
Three dates anchor the tour. The 22 October T20I opener in Christchurch sets it off, the 4 November Auckland ODI turns the focus toward 2027, and the 19 November Wellington Test marks the first red-ball contest between the sides on New Zealand soil in seven years.
The first match to circle is the Christchurch T20I on 22 October, the moment this record tour begins.
