Delhi & Kolkata slated to host ODIs during 'smog' months, BCCI needs to act fast

The BCCI came up with a detailed home schedule for the Indian cricket team for the year 2026-27, that includes the teams, the venues, the dates and the format they would be playing in. Of course, these matches need a lot of advance planning, the BCCI has been announcing these schedules in advance for a lot of years now.

Packed schedule for Team India

As many as 22 matches will be hosted in 17 different cities — that will include 9 ODIs, 8 T20Is and 5 Tests against Australia; part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This will also be the first time since December 2000, that Zimbabwe will tour India for an ODI series. The other series’ are vs West Indies and Sri Lanka.

So, in short, it is a win-win for the Indian cricket team fans, with a packed schedule. But there might be something, which must be a bit concerning, for all the involved parties. The scheduling of matches during winter in high smog cities like Delhi & Kolkata.

Delhi, Kolkata to host matches during smog months

Smog is an unfortunate, but a real occurrence in some of the parts of India, due to which, matches have been called off, venues shifted, and also been criticized. As per the latest BCCI schedule for Team India, the 1st ODI against SL will be played in Delhi, while Kolkata will host the 1st ODI against ZIM on Jan 3, 2027.

If one dig deeps into the issue, Delhi’s average AQI for December 2025 was at 389, while Kolkata’s average AQI in Jan 2026 was at 251. So, if the situation continues to be the same, worse, or even remotely better, it will still be a safety hazard for the players. Last year, Delhi was slated to host the IND vs SA 1st Test, but that was later moved to Kolkata, for the same reason.

In fact, the smog issue is not really restricted to these two cities only. In December 2025, IND vs SA 4th T20I was called-off in Lucknow, due to fog/smog. As per AQI.in, the average AQI in the city on the day of the match, was 309. BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had called for strong steps back then.

BCCI need to act fast

“BCCI will have to rethink winter scheduling and stop matches in North India,” he told Times Now. “It is an emergency and needs to be treated like one.” But then, it seems that they are again trusting the weather to be good in these areas, to be able to host international matches.

Whether these scheduled matches go on smoothly, when the dates arrive, will be a separate issue, but what comes with it is sense of embarrassment. One can go back to 2017, when a Test match between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi, in December was halted due to smog, where the Lankan players were seen wearing masks, and also reportedly were vomiting.

Yes, the BCCI follows the rotation policy for hosting of matches in India — where Delhi and Kolkata fall under the ‘major centres’ category, but something needs to be done about the impending issue.

IND vs WI schedule

No.	Date	Time	Match	Venue
1	13-Dec-26	2:00 PM	1st ODI	Delhi
2	16-Dec-26	2:00 PM	2nd ODI	Bengaluru
3	19-Dec-26	2:00 PM	3rd ODI	Ahmedabad
4	22-Dec-26	7:00 PM	1st T20I	Rajkot
5	24-Dec-26	7:00 PM	2nd T20I	Cuttack
6	27-Dec-26	7:00 PM	3rd T20I	Pune