More than 50,000 tickets have already been sold for New Zealand’s international home cricket summer, with the upcoming BLACKCAPS series against India driving strong demand across the country.
New Zealand Cricket says ticket sales for the 2026-27 international home summer have passed the 50,000 mark just over two weeks after sales began, highlighting growing interest in what is shaping up to be one of the biggest cricket tours New Zealand has hosted in recent years.
The strongest demand is coming from the BLACKCAPS’ highly anticipated multi-format series against India, which begins in Christchurch on October 22.
Several matches are already tracking towards sell-outs.
According to New Zealand Cricket, the second T20 International between New Zealand and India at Hagley Oval in Christchurch is already around 75 percent sold.
Demand in Auckland has also been strong enough for Eden Park to open its sixth tier of seating for the fourth T20I on Friday, October 30.
It will be the first time that level has been opened for cricket at Eden Park since India toured New Zealand in 2019.
The sixth tier has only been required on a handful of major cricket occasions in recent history, including the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and a New Zealand versus Australia T20I in 2018.
India Tour Driving Huge Demand
The 2026 India tour will feature 12 matches across three formats, making it one of the centrepieces of New Zealand’s international cricket summer.
The series begins with five T20 Internationals:
October 22: Christchurch
October 24: Christchurch
October 27: Wellington
October 30: Auckland
November 1: Hamilton
The teams will then play five ODIs between November 4 and November 15, followed by Test matches in Wellington from November 19 and Christchurch from November 27.
The scale of early ticket demand is not entirely unexpected.
New Zealand Cricket previously reported that around 26,000 tickets were purchased within the first 48 hours of the Cricket Nation member pre-sale, with Auckland and Christchurch among the strongest-performing venues.
Eden Park Opens More Seating
NZC Head of Marketing Tim Ellis said opening Eden Park’s upper level reflected the momentum building around the series.
Strong attendance at Hagley Oval had been expected, but having one Christchurch match already more than three-quarters sold demonstrates the exceptional level of interest surrounding the India tour.
New Zealand Cricket is also planning events and match-day activities around the series as it prepares for large crowds across the country.
The India series carries added significance following New Zealand and India meeting in the final of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, adding another layer of anticipation to the upcoming white-ball contests.
Big Summer of International Cricket
India’s tour will only be the beginning of a packed international season in New Zealand.
Following the BLACKCAPS-India series, the WHITE FERNS will host Bangladesh in December for three T20Is and three ODIs.
The BLACKCAPS will then host Sri Lanka from January, with the home international programme extending into February 2027.
Across the season, international matches will be staged in cities including Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, Nelson, Napier and Dunedin.
For New Zealand’s large Indian community, the India tour is expected to be one of the sporting highlights of 2026, and the early ticket numbers suggest fans are moving quickly to secure their seats.
With more than 50,000 tickets already sold and some matches heading towards capacity well before the first ball is bowled, fans planning to attend the India series may want to secure their tickets early.
