Cricket Ireland is in talks with the BCCI for a possible tour in 2026. They are planning to host India before their tour to England. The development comes after captain Paul Stirling complained of a lack of home matches.
Cricket Ireland (CI) is in talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over a potential white-ball tour by Indiaโs menโs team in the summer of 2025. The matches would likely take place ahead of Indiaโs scheduled tour of England, which begins on July 1 with five T20Is and three ODIs.
India have made three short T20I visits to Ireland in the past seven years, in 2018, 2022, and 2023, respectively. CI officials hope to replicate the past success and boost their summer schedule, which has come under scrutiny for its lack of fixtures.
Ireland captain Paul Stirling recently expressed frustration over the team’s limited home action, saying the squad felt “underprepared” to take on England in the ongoing T20I series. Sundayโs match will mark Irelandโs ninth and final menโs international at home this summer, with four earlier games abandoned due to poor weather.
CI Chair Brian MacNeice acknowledged playersโ concerns and admitted that the volume of cricket in 2025 is “not good enough” to prepare the national side for international competition.
โI’m not hiding from that. We mapped out our views and thoughts on what the schedule for ’26 and ’27 looks like, and I wanted to get their input not just on the international schedule, but also the domestic scheduleโฆ It was a really positive session yesterday. There’s more work to be done, honestly, but it was a good session,โ MacNeice said.
Irelandโs future plans
Next summerโs tentative schedule includes visits from New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, with Ireland expected to host two Test matches alongside limited-overs games. Final confirmation is pending logistical considerations.
MacNeice also provided an update on CIโs long-term infrastructure plans, confirming that the proposed international stadium at Abbotstown remains โvery much on track.โ He added that discussions with the ECB regarding the 2030 T20 World Cup, which Ireland will co-host with England and Scotland, were progressing positively.