International Cricket

India Tour England 2026: Net Session Public Access Day-by-Day

Anjali Iyer 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~5 min read ~954 words

India player batting in the nets while fans watch from behind a rope

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India's 2026 England tour runs from June 5 to August 12, with five T20Is and five Tests across eight venues. Across the 10 weeks, the team holds approximately 47 scheduled training and net sessions. Eighteen of these have published public access windows. The rest are private, restricted to accredited media and dressing room staff. Here is the day-by-day grid of which sessions are open to fans, by ground, with arrival times and access protocols.

Headingley, Leeds (June 2-7 and June 22-23)

India arrive in Leeds on June 2 for the T20I 1 preparation camp. Net sessions on June 3, June 4, and June 6 have public access from 10:00 to 11:30 am at the Headingley northern training nets. Entry is via the Carnegie Pavilion gate, with photographic ID required. Cameras are permitted but no flash photography in the nets area. Drone usage is prohibited within the ground perimeter.

The second Headingley access window is June 22 and June 23, ahead of the first Test starting June 25. Both sessions are 9:00 to 11:30 am, public access via the Carnegie Pavilion gate. Net positions and bowler-batter pairings change each session; expect Bumrah at the far end on June 22 and Bumrah at the near end on June 23 (per the Bowling Coach's standard rotation).

Lord's, London (July 13-14 and warm-up days)

Lord's has the strictest access protocol of the eight venues. The July 13 session is private (closed to public and ground-level media). The July 14 session has public access from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the indoor nets of the MCC Cricket Academy. Entry is via the East Gate, with prior registration through the Lord's Fan Access portal recommended (registration opens 21 days before the session). Photo ID required.

The Lord's access is the most competitive of the tour. Last cycle's equivalent (Australia tour 2023) saw queues form from 7:30 am for a 10:00 am entry. India's Lord's training is the marquee fan window of the tour. If you can plan one access window, this is the one.

Old Trafford and Edgbaston

Old Trafford has two access windows: the afternoon sessions of July 22 and July 23, both 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Entry via the South Stand gate. The Old Trafford training facility includes both indoor and outdoor nets; on dry days the outdoor nets are used and public access viewing is from the South Stand concourse. On wet days, indoor nets are used and public access is from the indoor concourse with a one-way viewing window.

Edgbaston has one public access window: the afternoon session of July 2, 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Entry via the Eric Hollies Stand gate. Public viewing from the front rows of the Hollies. The June 1 and June 13 (T20I-related) sessions at Edgbaston are also private.

The Rose Bowl, Trent Bridge, Sophia Gardens, the Oval

The Rose Bowl, Southampton has one access window: June 10 morning, 9:00 to 11:00 am. Entry via the Northern Gate. Public viewing from the practice arena concourse.

Trent Bridge, Nottingham has two access windows: June 8 morning (9:00 to 11:00 am) and June 9 afternoon (2:30 to 4:30 pm). Entry via the Hound Road gate. The Hound Road training facility has two side-by-side net rows; public viewing is from the road-side concourse.

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff has one access window: June 6 afternoon, 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Entry via the SWALEC Stadium main gate. Public viewing from the western concourse.

The Oval, London has two access windows: August 4 afternoon (2:30 to 4:30 pm) and August 5 morning (9:00 to 11:00 am). Entry via the Hobbs Gate. Public viewing from the practice ground concourse.

What to bring and what to expect

For every session, bring photo ID, a small water bottle (under 500 ml), and weather-appropriate clothing. UK summer is unpredictable; net sessions are sometimes shortened or moved indoors at short notice. Check the Indian team's official Twitter and the Cricjosh app for live updates within 90 minutes of the scheduled start. Approximately 22% of public access sessions in the past three England tours have been moved or cancelled on short notice due to weather.

Bring a notebook if you want to track which bowler bowls to which batter. This is the closest you will get to live tactical preparation. Net sessions are where the next five hours of Test cricket are designed. The Lord's session of July 14 is the highest-stakes of the 18 windows.

What it means

Eighteen public-access windows across 10 weeks is the most generous training access for an India tour of England in this format. Plan around Lord's, the marquee access. Headingley's pre-Test windows are the next priority. Old Trafford and the Oval are the easier mid-tour planning points. Carry ID, plan to queue, and respect the photography rules. The cricket starts on June 5. The watching can start three days earlier.