New Delhi, March 19 – The holders of the Men's T20 World Cup, India, will play a series against Ireland in June, ahead of their tour of England, confirmed Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland.
This series is not part of the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), but it will serve as a warm-up for India's tour of England, where they will play five T20Is in Chester-le-Street, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, and Southampton, in addition to three ODIs.
India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, won the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil for a record third time earlier this month, with a commanding 96-run victory over New Zealand in a one-sided final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
West confirmed the fixtures while announcing that veteran batter Paul Stirling had stepped down as T20I captain following the team's disappointing campaign at the World Cup, which ended in a group stage exit.
"Paul has been an outstanding leader, combining his extensive playing experience with exceptional leadership skills. He will continue to captain the ODI squad with the initial goal of successfully qualifying and leading the team in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup next October-November."
"With qualification secured for the 2028 T20 World Cup, Paul's decision to step down as T20 captain provides the opportunity for the new captain to begin implementing their style and methodology, starting with the India series in June," he said.
This change in captaincy will now result in Ireland having a dedicated captain for each of the three formats. With Andrew Balbirnie leading the side in Test matches, Stirling in ODIs, and the T20I captain will be announced later.
India last toured Ireland in August 2023 for a three-match T20I series, with all matches played at the Malahide Cricket Ground. India, led by ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, won the series 2-0 after winning the first two games, while the third and final match was washed out due to rain.