Cricket Ireland is in early discussions with the BCCI about luring India’s men back to Malahide for a short white-ball series ahead of their 2026 tour of England.
Key points first
• CI chair Brian MacNeice confirmed talks with Indian officials during last week’s ICC meetings.
• India are due in England from 1-19 July 2026 for five T20Is and three ODIs; a brief Irish leg beforehand would mirror visits in 2018, 2022 and 2023.
• Paul Stirling believes the senior side need more home cricket after a sparse 2025 schedule.
Player concerns
Stirling admitted he was “disappointed” by the lack of fixtures this summer and said Ireland felt “underprepared” for their current T20Is against England. Four of the team’s nine scheduled home games in 2025 have already been washed out, compounding frustration in the dressing-room.
MacNeice meets the squad
In response, MacNeice spent Friday afternoon with players and staff.
“I opened the meeting by saying, as far as I’m concerned, the quantum of cricket that we’re playing in ’25 isn’t good enough to prepare you guys to play international cricket and to be competitive at ICC tournaments,” he told them. “I’m not hiding from that.”
The chair presented an outline for 2026-27.
“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 schedule… It was a really positive session yesterday. There’s more work to be done, honestly, but it was a good session.”
According to MacNeice, the players appreciated the honesty. “[The players] understand the challenges that we’re facing and some of the reasons why we had what we had, but they also are very clear about what we’re trying to achieve. I think they’re fully bought into that,” he said.
Why the calendar is thin
Converting club grounds into fully-fledged international venues remains expensive, while Ireland’s broadcast deals yield only modest returns. Those realities leave administrators wary of over-scheduling, even if the on-field consequences are obvious.
What 2026 could look like
The current Future Tours Programme already lists visits from New Zealand (one Test), Bangladesh (three ODIs, three T20Is) and Afghanistan (one Test, three ODIs, three T20Is). India’s involvement would turn a respectable calendar into a genuinely busy one, subject to final approval from both boards and a slot in India’s tightly packed itinerary.
“There’s still a couple of variables that have to be figured out before we lock in the final schedule, but we’ll be hosting Test cricket here next year,” MacNeice stressed.
Infrastructure and long-term plans
The proposed national stadium at Abbotstown, just outside Dublin, is “very much on track”, MacNeice said. The venue is central to Ireland, England and Scotland’s joint bid to co-host the 2030 Men’s T20 World Cup, discussions about which progressed positively with ECB officials this week.
On the red-ball front, MacNeice would be “very supportive” of splitting the World Test Championship into two divisions if that gave emerging nations clearer pathways.
Leadership change ahead
The search for a new chief executive to succeed Warren Deutrom is “going really well”, with a recommendation due to reach the board by late October. Meanwhile, both men have accepted roles with the planned European T20 Premier League (ETPL); MacNeice will chair the league and Deutrom becomes its director. The ETPL was initially pencilled in for 2025, but its debut season is now expected to follow completion of the new stadium.
Expert view
Former Ireland coach Adi Birrell believes a visit from India would provide “invaluable exposure” on and off the field. “The revenue alone can fund development programmes for years,” he noted, “but the cricketing benefit—playing high-quality opposition at home—matters just as much.”
Analysts also point out that three- or four-match series against second-tier Test nations rarely fill Malahide, whereas India’s last trip sold out within hours. A similar boost in 2026 could ease CI’s venue-conversion costs and justify a busier home summer.
Looking ahead
Ireland finish their 2025 home season on Sunday in the third T20I against England, weather permitting. Beyond that, the board will hope fresh fixtures, firmer infrastructure plans and an India tour in 2026 can close the gap between aspiration and reality—something both administrators and players appear united in addressing.
