India Women vs. Zimbabwe Women 2026: Dates, Venues and Format

India Women and Zimbabwe Women are scheduled to meet in their first bilateral international series in October 2026. The tour has six matches: three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) in Raipur from October 16 to 20, followed by three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) in Baroda from October 23 to 28. The ODI leg also forms part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025–29. Those details were confirmed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). This guide reflects the published schedule as of September 30, 2026.

Why is the India–Zimbabwe women’s series historic?

It is the first bilateral international series between the senior women’s teams of India and Zimbabwe. “Bilateral” means a tour or series involving two national teams, rather than a multi-team tournament. The ICC describes the October tour as the first-ever bilateral international meeting between the sides. That wording matters: it identifies a first in bilateral international cricket, not necessarily the first time players from the countries have encountered one another in every possible cricket setting.

The milestone is significant for both sides. India will host Zimbabwe across two formats, giving the visitors a full six-match program against one of the established teams in women’s international cricket. Zimbabwe’s ODI matches will carry an additional competition context because that portion of the tour is included in the ICC Women’s Championship 2025–29. The T20Is and ODIs therefore make up one tour, but the ODI results also matter to the Championship table.

What are the dates, venues, and local start times?

The BCCI’s home-season schedule lists all six fixtures and start times in Indian local time (India Standard Time, or IST). Raipur hosts the T20I leg; Baroda, also commonly called Vadodara, hosts the ODI leg.

The official schedule identifies the host cities rather than naming a specific ground in its fixture table. The ICC fixture notice also lists Raipur and Baroda, so these are the safest venue descriptions to use until the boards publish any more detailed ground or operational information. If you are planning travel or checking local access, confirm the exact stadium, ticket arrangements, and any entry guidance with the BCCI closer to match day.

For viewers outside India, convert the listed IST start time to your own time zone on each match date. The three T20Is have an evening start, while the ODIs begin in the afternoon. Do not assume that a listing shown by a third-party app uses your local time; check its time-zone setting before setting reminders.

How is the series divided between T20I and ODI cricket?

The tour is a white-ball series, meaning every match is a limited-overs game rather than a multi-day Test. It is split evenly between two formats:

• Three T20Is: Each side can bat for up to 20 overs in a standard T20 International. The shorter format generally places a premium on scoring quickly, taking wickets at useful moments, and making sharp fielding decisions. The first three games all take place in Raipur.
• Three ODIs: Each side can bat for up to 50 overs in a standard One-Day International. The longer innings give teams more time to rebuild after early wickets and manage the scoring rate across different phases. All three ODIs are scheduled in Baroda.

These are standard scheduled innings limits; a team can be dismissed before reaching its allocation, and a chase can finish early once the target is reached. Weather interruptions or other match conditions can also affect the playing time or overs available. The ICC’s overview of the three international formats explains the 20-over and 50-over structures.

Because the tour moves from Raipur to Baroda between formats, it is not a single-venue series. The three-match T20I contest concludes on October 20; the ODI leg begins three days later, on October 23. That gap separates the format blocks but does not change the overall six-match schedule.

What does the ICC Women’s Championship connection mean?

The ODI leg is part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025–29, the competition that provides a structured international pathway through women’s ODI cricket. In practical terms, the three ODIs are not just standalone fixtures on a tour: their results feed into the Championship competition. The T20I matches remain a separate three-game series and are not the Championship leg identified by the ICC announcement.

This distinction helps explain why the tour has two formats. T20Is give both teams international matches in the shorter game, while the ODIs offer Championship competition. Fans comparing match importance should therefore track the ODI results both as a bilateral series and as part of the broader Championship cycle. The exact standings impact follows the Championship’s competition rules and the official recorded results.

What should fans check before making plans?

The fixtures and city allocations are confirmed, but a schedule can still be supplemented by later announcements. Before buying travel or arranging to attend a match, look for updates from the BCCI and Zimbabwe Cricket on the exact ground, tickets, entry rules, broadcast partners, squads, and any revised start time. The BCCI’s May 6 fixture release links to the full home-season timetable, and the ICC’s series announcement provides the historic context and match dates.

A useful quick check is to keep three details together: the date, the match format, and the city. For example, October 23 is the first ODI in Baroda at 2:00 p.m. IST, not the first T20I in Raipur. This avoids a common fixture mix-up when a tour contains consecutive blocks in different formats and cities.

As of September 30, 2026, the published program is six matches over thirteen calendar days, with a three-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series. The confirmed schedule sets out when and where the teams are due to play; squad, ticketing, broadcast, and ground-level details should be checked against later official notices before the first ball.