The Board of Control for Cricket in India is looking to reshape the next Future Tours Programme with a clear focus on workload management and overseas preparation. The central aim is to create enough room for rest, acclimatisation and practice matches before major series in SENA conditions, where Indian teams have often faced tougher performance demands.
BCCI’s scheduling priorities for the 2027-31 cycle
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board has already instructed its FTP planners to build the next cycle around a more balanced calendar. The discussion comes ahead of the FTP workshop in Dubai on September 22 and 23, where operations teams from all boards will meet to plan international scheduling for 2027-31.
The workshop will include representatives from the top eight Associate nations as well, showing that the discussion is not limited to full-member scheduling alone. For India, the key issue is how to fit preparation windows around already locked bilateral commitments and ICC events.
Why acclimatisation matters in SENA countries
India’s travel-heavy calendar will include Tests in England and Australia, and the board wants more controlled build-up periods before such assignments. In practical terms, that means creating gaps for travel, training and potentially warm-up matches before the team enters high-pressure overseas series.
The logic is data-driven. Across recent cycles, Indian away tours in SENA nations have generally required stronger preparation time because conditions often differ sharply from home surfaces in terms of bounce, seam movement and overhead assistance. A more deliberate FTP could help reduce the adaptation gap.
| Tour window | Expected assignment | Preparation focus |
|---|
| Beginning of 2028 | India vs England, five Tests at home | Scheduling balance before overseas block |
| End of 2028 | India tour of Australia | Acclimatisation in pace-friendly conditions |
| 2029 | Tentative tour of England | Friendly matches and recovery windows |
| 2031 | Australia tour of India | Long-cycle planning around ICC events |
Balancing bilateral series with ICC tournaments
The 2027-31 period will be crowded with major ICC events. India is expected to host the Champions Trophy in 2029, play the T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2028, the T20 World Cup in England, Scotland and Ireland in 2030, and the ODI World Cup in India and Bangladesh in 2031.
These tournaments will sit alongside World Test Championship obligations, which may require India to tour South Africa and the West Indies and host Sri Lanka and another team. That makes the schedule harder to compress, because each event needs travel buffers, recovery time and commercial windows.
| Event | Year | Host/Location |
|---|
| T20 World Cup | 2028 | Australia and New Zealand |
| Champions Trophy | 2029 | India |
| T20 World Cup | 2030 | England, Scotland and Ireland |
| ODI World Cup | 2031 | India and Bangladesh |
Why multilateral cricket is gaining attention again
Another important theme emerging from the broader discussions is the possible return of more multilateral cricket. There is a growing view among boards that bilateral series are losing commercial strength and may not generate the same value they once did.
Tri-series and quadrangular events have become rare, but they remain relevant because they can offer broader audience appeal and better media-rights potential. A T20I tri-series is currently underway in Namibia, involving the hosts, South Africa and Zimbabwe, which shows that the format is still viable in selected markets.
How rare are tri-series in recent years?
ODI tri-series have become especially uncommon. Since the 2019 World Cup, there has been only one ODI tri-series, featuring New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan, played before the 2025 Champions Trophy.
For India, there have been only four tri-series events since the 2011 World Cup. That includes tournaments in Australia in 2011-12 and 2014-15, a 2013 tri-series in the West Indies, and the Nidahas Trophy in 2018 in Sri Lanka. The 2018 event was a T20I tri-series, while the other three were ODI tournaments.
| India’s tri-series since 2011 World Cup | Format | Teams involved |
|---|
| 2011-12 Australia | ODI | Sri Lanka, Australia, India |
| 2013 West Indies | ODI | West Indies, Sri Lanka, India |
| 2014-15 Australia | ODI | England, Australia, India |
| 2018 Nidahas Trophy | T20I | Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India |
Commercial reality will shape the final calendar
The Asia Cup remains a multilateral event, but it is owned by the Asian Cricket Council and follows a different commercial model. For a host board, the financial upside of non-India matches often depends on market demand, broadcasting value and the strength of participating teams.
That is where the BCCI’s challenge becomes more complex. India’s hosting of a multilateral event has not happened since the TVS Cup in 2003-04, which featured Australia and New Zealand. The absence of such tournaments suggests that valuation of non-India fixtures remains a critical factor in any decision to revive them.
Ultimately, the next FTP is likely to be judged on two metrics: whether it gives players adequate recovery and SENA preparation, and whether it can still sustain the economics of international cricket. With the Dubai workshop approaching, the board’s ideas will soon meet the realities of scheduling, broadcasting and revenue alignment.