With the IPL 2026 season ending in late May, India’s focus will swiftly shift to their next major assignment, the 2027 ODI World Cup. After a T20-heavy phase headlined by Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, attention will return to the senior duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as India begin building their 50-over campaign from June.
India are already scheduled to play 15 ODIs later this year. However, if the BCCI agrees to a proposed tweak in their overseas itinerary, Kohli and Rohit could get additional game time in the build-up to the World Cup.
According to a report in CricHub, India are likely to extend the ODI leg of their white-ball tour of New Zealand later this year, trimming the T20I series in the process. The move would reflect the strategic priority being placed on the 50-over format ahead of 2027.
Under the original schedule, India were set to play five T20Is, two ODIs and two Tests across October and November, their first full tour of New Zealand in six years. However, the report suggests the ODI series could be expanded by two additional matches, reducing the T20I leg to a three-match affair.
Sources told the publication that New Zealand Cricket (NZC) initiated the proposal to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). While India’s shift in focus towards ODIs aligns with World Cup preparation, New Zealand’s interest is understood to be commercially driven. An extended ODI series featuring Kohli and Rohit, potentially on their final tour of the country, is expected to generate significant broadcaster and stakeholder interest.
Neither the BCCI nor NZC has made an official announcement yet, but indications suggest the revised white-ball schedule is likely to be formalised soon.
India’s ODI calendar for the second half of this year will begin with a three-match series against Afghanistan in June, three more against England in July, and as many when they return home to take on the West Indies. And India will end the year with a three-match fixture against Sri Lanka.
