India vs England – T20 Series: Match Schedule, Teams, Head to Heads, News | Cricket news
World champions India host England in a five-match T20 series as they begin preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup with one eye on the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
India’s winning streak in the shortest format of the game has seen them conclude every bilateral T20 series since August 2023, and captain Suryakumar Yadav will be looking to build on his new-look side’s success ahead of co-hosting the T20 World Cup in February 2026.
The hosts have hinted at taking a “flexible” approach in the upcoming series, with newly appointed vice-captain Axar Patel saying his side will be open to the idea of experimenting with a floating batting line-up.
“The openers are fixed, but everyone from number three to seven has been told they can come into the game at any time, in any situation,” Patel said in his pre-series comments on Monday.
“Our middle order will come to bat depending on the match situation, what kind of bowlers are bowling at that time, what match is working well. We talked about how we can all be buoyant.”
Patel said that India are aware of the short gap between the two T20 World Cups and they want to continue their winning streak till the next edition.
“Momentum is a big thing because if you get off to a good start, you can sustain it. We finished well in 2024, so we want to transfer the momentum to this series as well.
“But we talked about the past being the past; however, we want to move forward with the positive results we have gained from there. We carried forward the points that brought us success.”
Meanwhile, England’s form in the T20 format has dipped since their semi-final appearance at the last World Cup in June.
Jos Buttler’s side will be hoping that the presence of young all-rounder Jacob Bethell as well as wicketkeeper Jamie Smith will give their batting line-up an extra punch.
The series marks England’s first limited-overs tour under Brendon McCullum, who was previously only in charge of the Test side.
“I’m desperate for us to play a really watchable kind of cricket,” McCullum told reporters. “With the talent we have, there’s no reason we can’t.”
McCullum said Buttler, who will play only as a batsman and will not keep wicket on the tour, will leave a lasting legacy as England’s white-ball leader.
“He’s in a really good space, he’s excited about the squad we’ve got, and he’s excited about the opportunity ahead of us,” the former New Zealand captain said.
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming T20 series:
What is the full match schedule of India vs England T20 series?
- First T20: Wednesday 22 January at 19:00 (13:30 GMT) – Eden Gardens, Kolkata
- Second T20: Saturday 25th January 19:00 (13:30 GMT) – MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
- Third T20: Tuesday, January 28 at 19:00 (13:30 GMT) – SCA Stadium, Rajkot
- Fourth T20: Friday 31 January at 19:00 (13:30 GMT) – MCA Stadium, Pune
- Fifth T20: Sunday, February 2 at 19:00 (13:30 GMT) – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
India vs England: T20 head-to-head score
India’s first T20 international encounter against England came in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, when power hitter Yuvraj Singh bowled Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over.
The contests between the two sides were closely tied, with India winning 13 of their 24 matches in the shortest format, including the last in the semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Guyana.
England beat India in the remaining 11 T20 matches.
Pattern Guide: India
The world champions enter the series on the back of a 3-1 away win in South Africa and a 3-0 defeat at home to Bangladesh. India have not lost a T20 series since August 2023.
Last five games (First latest result): WWLWW
Patterns Guide: England
England won their last bilateral T20 series, against the West Indies, but ended the T20 World Cup with a heavy semi-final defeat against the eventual champions.
England’s last T20 win over India came in the 2022 T20 World Cup and Buttler’s side will be looking to emulate their triumphant form in which they won the title in Australia.
Last five games: WWWL-NR (no results)
Team News: India
Wicketkeeper and opening batsman Sanju Samson has cemented his place in India’s T20 line-up after his strong performances during the series against South Africa.
This series will see the return of experienced bowler Mohammad Shami after a long layoff due to injury, while all-rounder Washington Sunder will also be back after the Test tour of Australia.
composition: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (gatekeeper)
Team news: England
England’s T20 squad has been set over the last few series, but the two-time champions will be looking to extend the streak of the likes of Bethell, Brydon Carse and Jamie Smith ahead of the ODI series and Champions Trophy.
composition: Jos Buttler (captain), Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wicketkeeper), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
How to watch and stream India vs England?
Al Jazeera will provide full photo and text coverage of the T20 series, including pre-match build-up, full commentary coverage and post-match talking points.
How can I buy tickets for the India – England T20 matches?
Tickets for the series are sold on several online platforms.
