New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Men’s T20 World Cup holders India will play a series against Ireland in June ahead of their white-ball tour of England, confirmed Graeme West, Director of High Performance at Cricket Ireland.

The series is not part of the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP), but it will serve as a warm-up for the England tour for India, where they will play five T20Is in Chester-le-Street, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, and Southampton, apart from three ODIs.

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, clinched the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil for a record third time earlier this month with a commanding 96-run win over New Zealand in a one-sided final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

West confirmed the fixtures while announcing that veteran batter Paul Stirling had stepped down as T20I captain following the team’s disappointing campaign at the World Cup, ending in a group stage exit.

“Paul has been an outstanding leader, combining his wealth of playing experience with exceptional man-management skills. He will continue to captain the ODI squad with the initial goal to successfully navigate qualification and lead the team in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup next October-November.

“With qualification secured for the T20 World Cup in 2028, Paul’s decision to stand down as T20 captain provides the opportunity for the new captain to begin implementing their style and methodology, starting with the India Series in June,” he said.

The captaincy change will now result in Ireland Men having a dedicated captain for each of the three formats. With Andrew Balbirnie leading the side in Test, Stirling in ODIs, and the T20I captain will be announced later.

India last toured Ireland in August 2023 for a three-match T20I series, with all fixtures staged at the Malahide Cricket Ground. India were led by ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and secured the series 2–0 after winning the opening two games, while the third and final match was washed out due to rain.

–IANS

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