International Cricket

South Africa Tour India 2026-27 3-Test 3-ODI 5-T20I Fixtures

Rohan Bhatia 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~6 min read ~1,053 words

South Africa Test team arriving in India for a tour

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South Africa tour India for an 11-match series from November 8 to December 14, 2026 with three Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. The tour is one of the BCCI's premium home assignments and the longest South African tour of India since 2019-20. The Test series counts toward the 2025-27 WTC cycle. Here is the full day-by-day schedule, ticket release dates, and the squad context with Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram as the central names.

The full schedule

T20I 1: Sunday November 8 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Start time 7:00 pm IST. Day-night.

T20I 2: Wednesday November 11 at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune. Start time 7:00 pm IST.

T20I 3: Saturday November 14 at Holkar Stadium, Indore. Start time 7:00 pm IST.

T20I 4: Tuesday November 17 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Start time 7:00 pm IST.

T20I 5: Friday November 20 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Start time 7:00 pm IST. Series finale.

ODI 1: Tuesday November 24 at JSCA International Stadium, Ranchi. Start time 2:30 pm IST. Day-night.

ODI 2: Friday November 27 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Start time 2:30 pm IST.

ODI 3: Monday November 30 at Holkar Stadium, Indore. Start time 2:30 pm IST.

Test 1: Saturday December 5 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Day 1 start 9:30 am IST. Five-day Test.

Test 2: Sunday December 13 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Day 1 start 9:30 am IST. Five-day Test.

Test 3: Monday December 21 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Day 1 start 9:30 am IST. Five-day Test. Reserve day December 26.

Venue tactical notes

T20Is span five venues with distinct characteristics. Eden Gardens has the largest capacity (66,000) and pace-friendly conditions. Maharashtra has the smallest boundary on the leg side. Holkar Stadium has the smallest overall dimensions. Chinnaswamy is the highest-scoring T20I venue in India. Wankhede has fast outfields and ground-touching boundary fences.

ODIs at three venues. Ranchi has the lowest average scoring of the three (260-285). Chennai is the most pace-friendly. Indore (the second visit of the tour) is the highest-scoring venue (290-330 range).

Tests at three iconic venues. Eden Gardens has historic significance and offers a spinning surface from day 3. Chinnaswamy is a pace-friendly Test venue. Wankhede is the marquee Test ground with a sea-side breeze that aids swing in the afternoon session.

Broadcast in major markets

In India: Jio Hotstar carries all 11 matches. Hindi commentary primary. The Test series broadcast partner is the standard BCCI-Star Sports deal.

In South Africa: SuperSport carries all 11. The home market has high engagement for India tours.

In UK: Sky Sports Cricket. Start times in BST: T20Is at 1:30 pm; ODIs at 9:00 am; Test day 1 at 4:00 am.

In Australia: Fox Cricket. Start times in AEST: T20Is at 11:30 pm; ODIs at 7:00 pm; Test day 1 at 2:00 pm.

In USA: Willow TV. Start times in ET: T20Is at 8:30 am; ODIs at 4:00 am; Test day 1 at 11:00 pm previous day.

In UAE: Cricbuzz Live. Start times in GST: T20Is at 5:30 pm; ODIs at 1:00 pm; Test day 1 at 8:00 am.

Tickets and availability

BCCI released tickets on August 12, 2026 through the official BookMyShow partnership. T20I prices INR 800-15,000 (standard to premium). ODI prices INR 600-12,000. Test prices INR 400-3,000 per day.

Eden Gardens T20I 1 and Test 1 sold the fastest. Eden Gardens T20I 1 sold out within 24 hours at all tiers except hospitality. Wankhede T20I 5 (series finale) sold out at premium tiers within 48 hours. Chinnaswamy T20I 4 has remaining standard-tier availability.

ODI tickets are typically slower-selling than T20I; all three venues have availability across tiers as of writing.

Test tickets demand is venue-specific. Eden Gardens Test 1 and Wankhede Test 3 have premium availability. Chinnaswamy Test 2 has standard-tier availability across all five days.

Squad context for South Africa

Temba Bavuma captains the Tests. The South African Test squad for India typically includes a top order of Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs (now at four), Bavuma (five), and David Bedingham (six). The wicketkeeper-batter is Kyle Verreynne. The pace attack is led by Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Jasper Brydon, and Lungi Ngidi. The spinner is Keshav Maharaj.

In white-ball, the South African captaincy has been variable through 2026. Aiden Markram is the most likely T20I captain. Bavuma is the ODI captain. Heinrich Klaasen anchors the middle order in both white-ball formats. The NOC dispute around MLC participation (covered in our separate piece) does not affect this tour because the dates fall outside the MLC window.

What it means

Eleven matches across 36 days. South Africa have not won a Test series in India since 2010. The 2026 series is one of their best historical opportunities, with Bavuma in his best Test captaincy form. The white-ball series is the warm-up; the Test series is the prize. Ticket availability remains strong at Chinnaswamy. The T20I series finale at Wankhede on November 20 is the marquee T20I of India's 2026 home calendar. Plan accordingly.