WELLINGTON, New Zealand — A historic all-format cricket tour by India, set to take place later this year, will mark the largest inbound international cricket tour New Zealand has hosted in nearly 30 years, bringing more than six weeks of top-tier cricket action to fans across the country. The unprecedented tour will see India’s men’s national side face off against New Zealand’s Black Caps across 12 matches spanning all three formats of international cricket: five Twenty20 Internationals, five One-Day Internationals, and two Test matches. This slate of fixtures makes India’s visit the most match-heavy tour any visiting nation has ever conducted on New Zealand soil, according to local cricket organizers. The tour will tip off on October 22 at Christchurch’s iconic Hagley Oval with the opening T20I, and will wrap up six weeks later on November 27, when the second and final Test match gets underway back in Christchurch. Beyond the on-field competition, New Zealand Cricket’s top commercial leaders frame the tour as much more than a series of sporting contests. “This will be about more than just the cricket on the field. It will be a celebration of New Zealand’s shared history and culture with India and our burgeoning rivalry and friendship through cricket,” said Glenn Critchley, New Zealand Cricket’s Marketing and Commercial Officer. The massive popularity of the Indian men’s cricket team globally, and particularly among New Zealand’s large South Asian community, has organizers preparing for unprecedented crowd interest and fan engagement. Star players including former captain Virat Kohli and star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah are widely expected to feature in the touring squad, amplifying excitement ahead of the series. “The passion and the following this team has is staggering, not to mention some of the star players expected to tour,” Critchley noted. “So we’re bracing for the intensity and fandom that will accompany the tour.” Critchley added that the tour will deliver 42 consecutive days of international cricket to supporters across eight host cities around New Zealand, a massive slate of content for domestic fans. The historic India series kicks off a busy period for the Black Caps, who will travel to Australia for a four-match Test tour immediately after concluding the India series. New Zealand will then return home in early 2025 to host Sri Lanka for a full series that includes three ODIs, three T20Is and two Test matches across January and February.
India set for a blockbuster 12-match New Zealand tour, the biggest in a generation
