BCCI plans more overseas acclimatisation time in next FTP cycle

India's cricket board is seeking to build dedicated rest and acclimatisation windows into the next Future Tours Programme, which covers the 2027-31 period. A scheduling workshop has been fixed for September 22-23 in Dubai, where operations teams from every member board are expected to gather. Eight Associate nations have also received invitations to attend.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has been vocal about the burden of an overcrowded international calendar and the need for structural change in the next cycle. He cited the volume of matches as the primary driver behind the board's push for reform. Saikia also described the specific brief given to scheduling officials.

"The challenge we are facing is that there are too many matches in the year, and that is why, in the next FTP, we will do certain things and take certain measures," Saikia said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

"We have instructed our FTP people, who will be meeting very soon at various international forums, that our FTP should be scheduled in such a way that there is proper rest for the players, as well as some kind of acclimatisation or friendly matches before any major series in SENA countries," he added.

What does the 2027-31 FTP cycle look like so far?

Several bilateral fixtures have already been confirmed or tentatively placed for the new cycle. A five-Test home series against England is pencilled in for early 2028, after which India are due to travel to Australia later that same year. A tour of England in 2029 and a home series against Australia in 2031 are also tentatively on the schedule.

The ICC events calendar across the same period is equally packed. Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2028 T20 World Cup, while India are set to stage the 2029 Champions Trophy. England, Scotland and Ireland will share the 2030 T20 World Cup, and India and Bangladesh are confirmed as joint hosts for the 2031 ODI World Cup.

A growing view that bilateral cricket is losing financial viability has prompted discussion about adding more multilateral tournaments to the next cycle. A T20I tri-series involving Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe is currently under way in Namibia, though such events have been rare at the top level. Only one ODI tri-series has been played since the 2019 ODI World Cup, a competition featuring New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan that served as preparation for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

How has India approached multilateral cricket in the past?

Since the 2011 World Cup, India have taken part in four tri-series. A 2011-12 edition in Australia included Sri Lanka, a 2013 home series featured Sri Lanka and West Indies, a 2014-15 tournament in Australia brought in England, and the 2018 Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka was contested alongside Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dinesh Karthik sealed that final with a last-ball six to hand India the trophy.

India last staged a multilateral tournament at home during the TVS Cup in 2003-04, which also involved Australia and New Zealand. Whether the 2027-31 cycle will include a similar event on Indian soil has not been confirmed, and the exact format of any planned multilateral competitions remains unspecified ahead of the Dubai workshop.