The upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE will start the preparation for the T20 World Cup 2026 for several teams, including India. Team India's squad for the continental event was announced on August 19 (Tuesday) as several changes were made from the previous T20I series.
The fact that Shubman Gill returned after more than a year and became the vice-captain made it clear that he is being looked at as one of the certainties for the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next year. The men in blue will take the field in the Asia Cup next month from September 9 and will play a lot of matches in the build-up to the mega event in 2026.
India will tour Australia after the Asia Cup
India are undoubtedly the favourites to win the Asia Cup, and after the event, they will tour Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is. The T20I series will be played from October 29 to November 8 with the matches scheduled in Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, Gold Coast and Brisbane.
India scheduled to host South Africa and New Zealand
After the Australia tour, team India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will play a lot of cricket at home, hosting strong teams like South Africa and New Zealand before the T20 World Cup. The team will play 10 more T20Is after the Australia tour and the series against South Africa is set to be played from December 9 to 19. Cuttack, Mullanpur, Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad will host the matches as per the scheduled released by the BCCI.
As for New Zealand's tour of India, the five-match T20I series is scheduled from January 21 to January 31, very close to the T20 World Cup that is set to be played in February-March.
India's schedule before T20 World Cup 2026
September 2025 - Asia Cup (7 T20Is including final)
October-November 2025 - 5 T20I vs Australia (away)
| Date (Day) | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| December 9 (Tuesday) | 1st T20I | Cuttack | 7 PM |
| December 11 (Thursday) | 2nd T20I | Mullanpur | 7 PM |
| December 14 (Sunday) | 3rd T20I | Dharamsala | 7 PM |
| December 17 (Wednesday) | 4th T20I | Lucknow | 7 PM |
| December 19 (Friday) | 5th T20I | Ahmedabad | 7 PM |
December 2025 - 5 T20I vs South Africa (home)
| Date (Day) | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| October 29 (Wednesday) | 1st T20I | Canberra | 1:45 PM |
| October 31 (Friday) | 2nd T20I | Melbourne | 1:45 PM |
| November 2 (Sunday) | 3rd T20I | Hobart | 1:45 PM |
| November 6 (Thursday) | 4th T20I | Gold Coast | 1:45 PM |
| November 8 (Saturday) | 5th T20I | Brisbane | 1:45 PM |
January 2026 - 5 T20Is vs New Zealand (home)
| Date (Day) | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
| January 21 (Wednesday) | 1st T20I | Nagpur | 1:45 PM |
| January 23 (Friday) | 2nd T20I | Raipur | 1:45 PM |
| January 25 (Sunday) | 3rd T20I | Guwahati | 1:45 PM |
| January 28 (Wednesday) | 4th T20I | Vizag | 1:45 PM |
| January 31 (Saturday) | 5th T20I | Thiruvananthapuram | 1:45 PM |
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