Cricket Ireland in talks with BCCI over potential India series
What's the story
Cricket Ireland (CI) is in talks with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over a potential white-ball series in 2026. The proposed matches would take place before India's scheduled tour of England from July 1-19, 2025. This comes after India's three successful T20I tours to Ireland over the past seven years, which drew large crowds at Malahide near Dublin.
Captain's concern
Stirling's concerns addressed
Ireland's captain Paul Stirling has expressed his disappointment over the lack of home international cricket this summer. He said that the team is "underprepared" to take on England in their ongoing T20I series. Brian MacNeice, CI's chair, acknowledged these concerns after a recent washout at Malahide and held discussions with players and staff about it.
Schedule discussion
MacNeice on the issue
MacNeice opened the meeting by saying that the amount of cricket being played in 2025 isn't enough to prepare players for international competition. He said, "I'm not hiding from that." The CI chair also talked about their views on the 2026 and 2027 schedules and sought input from players on both international and domestic fixtures.
Fixture challenges
ICC-approved tours next summer
Ireland's limited fixture list is mainly due to high costs of converting club grounds into international venues and low value of broadcast rights deals. Despite these challenges, MacNeice said players understand the difficulties faced by CI. He also confirmed that according to ICC's Future Tours Programme, Ireland will host New Zealand (one Test), Bangladesh (three ODIs and three T20Is), and Afghanistan (one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is) next summer.
Future developments
Updates on stadium project, European T20 Premier League
MacNeice also said that Ireland's new stadium project at Abbotstown, near Dublin, is "very much on track." He has had positive meetings with senior ECB officials this week about the 2030 men's T20 World Cup, which Ireland, England, and Scotland will co-host. MacNeice was recently appointed chair of the board for the planned European T20 Premier League (ETPL), with Warren Deutrom as its director.