New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced that over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the upcoming international home summer, reflecting the excitement surrounding India’s return to New Zealand. This anticipated series has generated significant interest among cricket fans, highlighting the growing enthusiasm for international cricket in the region.
Ticket sales for the New Zealand summer season opened to the general public on Monday after a two-week pre-sale period for Cricket Nation members, Sky customers and ANZ customers, according to NZC.
India are set to tour New Zealand for the first time in six years, with the two teams scheduled to play five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests from October 22. The sixth tier has only been opened on a handful of occasions in recent years, including during the 2015 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and a men’s T20I between New Zealand and Australia in 2018. The strong response is another indication of the excitement surrounding India’s return, particularly after the two teams faced each other in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final earlier this year.
NZC Head of Marketing Tim Ellis said the growing demand showed the anticipation surrounding the India tour. “Being able to open up the top level of Eden Park for the first time in years is really exciting and speaks to the swell of excitement building around the tour,” Ellis said in an official statement. “Matches at Hagley Oval have always been well attended, but to have one of them over three-quarters sold already is quite remarkable,” he said. “We’re deep into planning for a number of events surrounding the tour and have some exciting at-game activations in the works that we’re confident will deliver a great experience for fans of all ages,” he said.
