CHENNAI: On Thursday afternoon, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for a bumper 2026-27 home season. It was a welcome change because the board have consistently delayed announcing schedules. This is a welcome departure from the past as it allows fans, including ones planning their winter holidays from outside India, to book hotels and flight tickets a good six to eight months in advance.
There are some significant headlines and plotlines to keep an eye on so here's the things to keep in mind. Zimbabwe will be in India for a bilateral series for the first time in over 23 years. Bengaluru will host two international games, a further sign that the venue is back in the calendar. Out of the 22 games scheduled to be played by India, nine are ODIs, further suggesting India's shifting priorities with a 50-over World Cup zooming into view. New Delhi has been allotted another international game in December (an ODI against Sri Lanka), when the capital's air quality could pose a genuine health hazard. New Delhi was supposed to host a Test in November 2025 but the Board subsequently allotted it one in October so one wonders if there could be a similar rejig. In all, four sides — Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe — will be in India from the last week of September to the first week of March. It represents a bonanza of sorts.
There's also a bonanza for Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad, three venues set to host a Test as well as a white-ball game in the winter. Ranchi, which last hosted a Test against England in February 2024, perhaps knew it was going to get one. Going into the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy in early 2027, 11 venues will have hosted a Test since Ranchi's last match. On a rotation basis, perhaps it was due a game.
But curiously, both Ahmedabad as well as Guwahati get a game and, at first glance, it's out of turn. Guwahati hosted its main first Test against South Africa in November last year. By the time the BGT comes around, India will have hosted only one Test in the interim (the one against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh). In essence, the city is scheduled to host its second five-day game out of five. That isn't very rotational.
Likewise, Ahmedabad. They hosted the first Test against West Indies in October 2025 but is now in line to host its second Test in a space of nine Tests. In fact, going back to the beginning of 2021, Ahmedabad is now set to host its fifth Test whereas some venues like Kolkata, Hyderabad, Dharamsala haven't hosted more than one.
The BCCI, in their press release, didn't mention whether this would mean Ahmedabad and Guwahati wouldn't be considered as Test venues in the short-term post the 2027 BGT.