India's tour of Ireland 2026: Suryakumar Yadav's men to return to Belfast after 19 years - complete IRE vs IND schedule

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India's only international game in Belfast came in 2007 in a ODI which the Men in Blue won. The tour of Ireland will be India's first T20I assignment after winning the T20 World Cup at home in March.

India will travel to Ireland in June later this year.
India will travel to Ireland in June later this year.

The Indian men's cricket team will travel to Belfast to play Ireland in a two-match T20I series later this year, the schedule of which was announced by the BCCI on Saturday. The Ireland tour will the second international bilateral series for India after the commencement of Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Men in Blue host Afghanistan from June 6 in a one-off Test match and three One-day internationals.

This will be first time since 2007, India will be travelling a series against Ireland in Belfast. Previous, India have toured Ireland thrice in the past eight years (2018, 2022, 2023). The T20 world champions will play Ireland on June 26 and 28, which also marks their first international assignment after retaining the world title earlier this month at home.

Having won the T20 World Cup in 2024, India thus became the first team to win the global event at home and also the first to win it back-to-back times. With this win, India also became the most successful side in T20 World Cup, winning the silverware in 2007, 2024 and 2026.

Ireland vs India 2026 complete T20I schedule

DateTimeMatchVenue
June 263:00 PM Local (7:30 PM IST) India vs Ireland 1st T20IBelfast
June 283:00 PM Local, (7:30 PM IST)India vs Ireland 2nd T20IBelfast

India vs Ireland - only ODI in 2007

Notably, India have played seven T20Is in Ireland, winning six, while one game was abandoned due to rain. India's only international game in Belfast came in an ODI, which the Men in Blue won by nine wickets in a match marred by rain. Batting first, Ireland rode on a fifty from Niall O'Brien to post 193 in 50 overs.

However, the game was reduced to 39 overs due to rain. India romped home in 34/5 overs with Sourav Ganguly (73 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (80 not out) starring with the bat. Incidentally, Gambhir is the India head coach while Ganguly had been a BCCI president in the past.

Massive blow to Ireland

Meanwhile, Paul Stirling has stepped down as Ireland captain in the shortest format of the game on Thursday. The decision came in after Stirling's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign was cut short due to a knee injury against Australia in a group stage game. Lorcan Tucker took over the leadership responsibilities for the rest of their campaign.

However, Stirling will remain as Ireland's ODI captain, with an eye to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. In his 48 games as T20I skipper, Stirling led Ireland to 20 wins and lost 26. Two games ended in no results. Under Stirling, Ireland played two T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, bowing out in group stages on both occasions.

Stirling is Ireland's most-capped player in T20Is, featuring in 163 games. The right-hander is Ireland's leading run-getter in the format with 3895 runs.

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Koushik Paul

Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="koushik.paul@htdigital.in">koushik.paul@htdigital.in</a>.

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