India vs Bangladesh Series Gets A New Date Amid Packed Calendar

Indian cricket team playing against Bangladesh [Source: AFP]After Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal announced a new tournament for their domestic window last week, the India vs Bangladesh bilateral series has been further postponed. According to Tamim, the much-anticipated series had been under discussion between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the BCB. However, no conclusion has been reached to date. Now, on August 27, a BCCI source, speaking to ANI, has revealed that the India-Bangladesh white-ball series is likely to be rescheduled for next year instead of the tentative next month occurrence.When will the India vs Bangladesh white-ball series take place?According to ANI, the BCB is looking for a new window for the India series at the beginning of next year, that is in 2027, after the originally proposed September window this year. The Bangladesh board is reportedly looking at a time frame around January 2027, meaning the series could now be delayed by more than a year since it was first proposed in August 2025."The India-Bangladesh series is likely to be held in January. Discussions with the government are still ongoing, while the BCB is now seeking a window at the beginning of next year," the BCCI source told ANI.It is important to note, however, that the BCCI has not made any official confirmation or issued a statement regarding the upcoming tour. So far, it has only been the BCB that has discussed the matter publicly with the media.Also Read- Bangladesh Tour Hanging By A Thread After BCCI Green Lights India-Afghanistan SeriesIndia-Afghanistan series in September a hindrance for Bangladesh?The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed on August 13 that India will play a three-match T20I series in September, with the fixtures scheduled for September 13, 15, and 17. While the Bangladesh series was still under discussion with the BCB, the ACB's sudden announcement of the upcoming Afghanistan-India series has surely dented Bangladesh's hopes of hosting their neighbours.The Bengal Tigers have a two-month free window after their Australia tour. Their next international assignment is against South Africa in November for a red-ball and white-ball series. Hence, the two-month window could be available for negotiation if the BCCI agrees.For the BCCI, however, the calendar is already packed, beginning with the September tour of Afghanistan, followed by a West Indies tour starting on September 26. October is also packed with white-ball fixtures against the West Indies, followed by New Zealand's tour of India. The Men in Blue will then host Sri Lanka for a white-ball series in December.Bangladesh could technically only approach India for March 2027 windowAlthough discussions have moved forward with the possibility of a January 2027 window, it is highly unlikely that the BCCI will agree to the proposed white-ball series early next year, given India's packed cricketing schedule. The Men in Blue are scheduled to host Zimbabwe in January before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is set to begin on January 21, 2027.The BGT is expected to continue until February 27, after which IPL 2027 is likely to be played towards the end of March. Hence, if Bangladesh are to propose a window to host India, it could most likely be between March 1 and March 20 for a five-match white-ball series.Other than that, there appears to be little possibility of the India vs Bangladesh series taking place before the second half of 2027.Also Read- List Of Oldest Bowlers To Attain No. 1 Test Ranking