India will tour Ireland for a T20I series in June 2026, confirmed Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland. The series will serve as a warm-up before India’s packed white-ball tour of England starting July 1.
Notably, this series falls outside the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), making it an additional fixture in an already loaded Indian cricket calendar.
Why Are India Playing Ireland Before the England Tour?
The scheduling makes tactical sense for Team India.
After hosting Afghanistan for a one-off Test and three ODIs ending June 20, India fly straight to the UK. Instead of jumping directly into the England series, they get a few competitive T20Is against Ireland to find their rhythm.
For context, the England tour is massive. It features five T20Is across Chester-le-Street, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, and Southampton, plus three ODIs. That’s eight white-ball internationals between July 1 and July 19. So playing Ireland first gives the squad match practice in similar UK conditions.
Where Will the India vs Ireland T20Is Be Played?
While exact dates and venues haven’t been announced yet, Malahide Cricket Club near Dublin is the most likely host. India have traditionally played at this ground during previous tours.
Over the past seven years, India has been a regular visitor to Ireland. They toured in 2018, 2022, and 2023, and each visit drew massive sell-out crowds at Malahide. Given the T20 World Cup-winning momentum, expect even bigger demand for tickets this time.
Paul Stirling Steps Down as Ireland T20I Captain
Interestingly, Graeme West confirmed the India series while announcing a major leadership change. Veteran batter Paul Stirling has stepped down as Ireland’s T20I captain following the team’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, where they crashed out in the group stage.
West framed the timing as an opportunity. He stated that with Ireland already qualified for the T20 World Cup 2028, the new captain can begin implementing their style starting with the India series in June.
India’s Full Schedule After IPL 2026:
The Indian cricket team barely gets a break after the IPL. Here’s how the summer shapes up:
- June 6-10: One-off Test vs Afghanistan (India)
- June 12-20: Three ODIs vs Afghanistan (Dharamsala, Lucknow, Chennai)
- Late June: T20I series vs Ireland (Dublin)
- July 1-19: Five T20Is and three ODIs vs England (UK)
After the England tour, India continue with two Tests in Sri Lanka in August, T20Is against Afghanistan in the UAE in September, and a full tour of Bangladesh later in the year. On top of all that, the Asian Games 2026 cricket event in Japan runs from September 17 to October 3.
In short, the Men in Blue won’t have a dull week for the rest of 2026. Ireland just happens to be one of the first stops on that marathon.
