In January 2026, Vadodara will witness its first men’s international cricket match in over 15 years during New Zealand’s white-ball tour of India. The tour begins with an ODI on 11th January at the newly established Kotambi Stadium. Previously, this venue has hosted multiple women’s matches, including three ODIs against the West Indies in December 2024 and several Women’s Premier League games in 2025.
Notably, New Zealand last featured in Vadodara’s international match roster in December 2010. Back then, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir clinched the Player-of-the-Match accolade with a century. Virat Kohli, no longer playing T20Is and Tests, also contributed with an unbeaten 63.
This series, consisting of three ODIs and five T20Is, marks the first face-off between India and New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final, where India emerged victorious.
Post-Vadodara, the second ODI is scheduled for 14th January in Rajkot, following which the ODI series wraps up on 18th January in Indore. The T20I series kicks off in Nagpur on 21st January, followed by a match in Raipur two days later.
The concluding part of the tour sees the teams traveling east and then south with T20Is hosted in Guwahati (25th January), Visakhapatnam (28th January), and Thiruvananthapuram (31st January). These matches are poised to be India’s final T20Is before the T20 World Cup in early 2026.
As the 2026 T20 World Cup approaches, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, New Zealand will also engage in three T20Is against Afghanistan after touring India. India’s recent excellence as 2024 T20 World Cup winners lends an anticipatory atmosphere to both tours.
