India’s T20I preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup are entering the final stretch.
With the tournament set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the Men in Blue are using every series to fine-tune combinations, manage workloads, and lock in their strongest XI.
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The T20I series against South Africa has again underlined India’s dominance in the shortest format. With only a handful of matches left before the World Cup, every game from here carries added weight.
When is India’s next T20I?
India’s next T20 international will be against New Zealand on January 21, 2026, in Nagpur.
This series will be India’s final T20I assignment before the 2026 T20 World Cup and will offer just five more matches to settle any remaining selection questions.
The five-match T20I series against South Africa has now concluded, with India winning the series 3-1. The only blip came in the second match in Chandigarh, when the Proteas won by 51 runs. But India dominated the other three matches, starting with a 101-run win in Cuttack and ending with 30-run win in Ahmedabad.
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India have once again ensured they do not lose a T20I series, extending a remarkable run that stretches back from 2023 till now, remaining undefeated in last 11 series they played.
Since their last series defeat, India have won or drawn every bilateral T20I series, alongside lifting the T20 World Cup in 2024 and the Asia Cup in 2025.
List of India's matches ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
The New Zealand series will be India’s last opportunity to test combinations under match conditions before the World Cup. All all five games will be played at home, offering familiar conditions but also limited scope for experimentation.
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 21, 2026 | 1st T20I | Nagpur – VCA Stadium |
| Jan 23, 2026 | 2nd T20I | Raipur – Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 3rd T20I | Guwahati – ACA Stadium |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 4th T20I | Visakhapatnam – Dr. YSR ACA-VDCA Stadium |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 5th T20I | Thiruvananthapuram – Greenfield Stadium |
With just these five matches remaining, India will look to maintain their unbeaten T20I series streak and head into the 2026 T20 World Cup with momentum firmly on their side.
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