Cricket Series 2026
All international, league, domestic & women's tournaments
The 2026 international cricket calendar is packed with marquee events. The Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) headlines the year as the world's biggest T20 league, featuring ten franchises in a 74-match round-robin and playoff format. Beyond the IPL, the ICC programme includes multiple bilateral series across all three formats — Test, ODI and T20 International — with England, Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand leading the rankings battles.
The domestic cricket season runs parallel with major competitions like the Ranji Trophy in India, Sheffield Shield in Australia, County Championship in England, and the Plunket Shield in New Zealand. Women's cricket continues its rapid growth with the ICC Women's Championship providing context to ODI series around the world, as teams build towards the next Women's World Cup cycle.
Other league competitions in 2026 include the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Big Bash League (BBL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), SA20, ILT20, and the Hundred. Each of these tournaments attracts the world's top T20 talent and provides high-quality franchise cricket for fans across the globe.
The IPL is the world's richest and most-watched T20 cricket league, established by the BCCI in 2007. Ten franchise teams representing major Indian cities compete in a double round-robin league format, with the top four sides advancing to a two-qualifier playoff system. The IPL attracts global superstars and provides the highest-profile platform for young Indian talent to emerge. With a broadcast deal worth billions, IPL matches are watched by hundreds of millions of fans.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) organises major global tournaments every two years for each format. The ICC Men's T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, World Test Championship Final and Champions Trophy are the pinnacle events in international cricket. These tournaments bring together the top 12–16 nations competing for cricket's most prestigious titles. The FTP (Future Tours Programme) governs bilateral series between member nations, ensuring a structured international calendar throughout the year.
The global franchise cricket ecosystem has expanded dramatically. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is Asia's premier T20 competition after the IPL, while the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia runs over the southern summer from December to February. The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) showcases West Indian talent alongside international stars, while SA20 in South Africa and ILT20 in the UAE have rapidly established themselves as top-tier competitions since their launch.
Women's cricket has seen explosive growth in the past decade with the ICC Women's Championship providing a clear pathway to the Women's ODI World Cup. The Women's T20 World Cup, contested every two years, has produced some of cricket's most memorable moments. The Women's Premier League (WPL) in India, modelled on the IPL, has brought franchise cricket to women's cricket and attracted record attendances and broadcast viewership. England's The Hundred also provides a leading women's T20 competition during the English summer.