Get India Women’s South Africa Fixtures: Dates and Broadcast Guide for December
India women tour South Africa in December 2026, in all three formats, for the first time under Smriti Mandhana as full-time white-ball captain, away from home.
Read this first: the old dates still circulating in search results are superseded.
Cricket South Africa announced the original schedule on 20 March 2026, with ODIs on 9, 12 and 15 December, and an Only Test on 20-23 December, at St George’s Park, Gqeberha. That schedule was revised on 6 August 2026, adding three T20Is and moving the Test to the start of the tour.
The revised schedule, as confirmed in a Cricbuzz update on 31 October 2026, is the current one to use. The dates below are the revised dates. Do not use the March dates.
The BCCI squad had not been announced as of 31 October 2026. No confirmed India broadcast listing for this specific women’s tour had been found in the sources checked as of 31 October 2026. Check the BCCI tour page, CSA’s fixture page, and the broadcaster’s own schedule closer to 9 December.
The fixtures, revised schedule, in IST
Only Test: Wednesday 9 to Saturday 12 December 2026
Venue: Dafabet St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Time: 10:00 AM local / 1:30 PM IST daily
Format: Only Test, 4 days, not 5 days
This is Mandhana’s first away series as full-time captain, but Mandhana is confirmed only as white-ball captain. Test captaincy is not confirmed, and is not to be assumed from the white-ball appointment. Check the squad announcement for the Test captain.
The 6 December warm-up, against SA Emerging at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, appears in the original March schedule only, and is not listed in the revised August schedule as published. Do not treat it as a confirmed fixture until CSA or the BCCI list it again.
1st ODI: Wednesday 16 December 2026
Venue: Boland Park, Paarl
Time: 10:00 AM local / 1:30 PM IST
Format: ODI, ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29
2nd ODI: Saturday 19 December 2026
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Time: 2:00 PM local / 5:30 PM IST
Format: ODI, ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29
3rd ODI: Tuesday 22 December 2026
Venue: Mangaung Oval, Bloemfontein
Time: 2:00 PM local / 5:30 PM IST
Format: ODI, ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29
The ODIs are part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29, the qualification pathway for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup. They are not a standalone bilateral series with no context.
1st T20I: Saturday 26 December 2026
Venue: Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Time: 6:00 PM local / 9:30 PM IST
2nd T20I: Tuesday 29 December 2026
Venue: NWC Oval, Potchefstroom
Time: 6:00 PM local / 9:30 PM IST
3rd T20I: Wednesday 30 December 2026
Venue: NWC Oval, Potchefstroom
Time: 6:00 PM local / 9:30 PM IST
The T20Is were added in the revised August schedule. The tour is also preparation for the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, in Sri Lanka in February 2027, which is why the T20Is were added.
The full tour, at a glance
Weekdays were verified with a date check for 2026.
Mandhana’s first away series as captain
Smriti Mandhana was appointed full-time white-ball captain on 6 October 2026, after Harmanpreet Kaur stepped down as captain across formats. Harmanpreet continued as a player, and was not retired.
Mandhana had led India before, as stand-in, in 18 T20Is, 11 wins, 6 losses, 1 no-result, and 4 ODIs, 4 wins, and had led RCB to WPL titles in 2024 and 2026. Her first series as full-time captain was at home, against Zimbabwe, in October 2026, and she won it 6-0: 3-0 in T20Is in Raipur, 16, 18 and 20 October, and 3-0 in ODIs in Vadodara, 23, 25 and 28 October, finishing with an eight-wicket win on 28 October.
The 6-0 was proof Mandhana could manage a favourite’s home series, correct mistakes after a win, India slipped to 19 for 4 chasing 115 in the first T20I, trust youth such as debutant Niki Prasad, and keep Harmanpreet involved as a player, 91 not out off 41 in the third T20I, and 126 in the second ODI. It did not prove she could win a tight series away from home.
South Africa in December is the next test, and it is away, in all three formats, against Laura Wolvaardt, who took the No. 1 ICC women’s ODI batting ranking from Mandhana in the 27 October 2026 update. Mandhana made 32 runs in two innings in the Zimbabwe ODI series, at an average of 16, and lost the No. 1 ranking to Wolvaardt.
The vice-captains in the Zimbabwe series were Shafali Verma, T20I, and Deepti Sharma, ODI. The South Africa roles are unconfirmed.
The squad: what to check when the BCCI announces it
The BCCI had not announced the South Africa tour squad as of 31 October 2026. The Zimbabwe ODI squad of 15 is a guide only, not a South Africa squad.
Six questions to check when the BCCI announces the squad:
- Test captain. Mandhana is white-ball captain only. Who captains the Only Test on 9 December?
- Vice-captains. Who are the vice-captains for the Test, the ODIs, and the T20Is?
- Keeper. Richa Ghosh, or Yastika Bhatia?
- Pace, and Renuka Singh Thakur’s fitness. Mandhana, after Zimbabwe, said she wants three specialist pacers for South Africa and for the Champions Trophy, and praised Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, and Jintimani Kalita. Jintimani was in for Renuka, workload, in the final Zimbabwe ODI squad of 15. Is Renuka fit for South Africa?
- Young players. Niki Prasad, Vaishnavi Sharma, Pratika Rawal, and Sree Charani. Prasad was T20I-only in Zimbabwe, not in the ODI squad. Prasad made 39 not out off 35 on debut in the 1st T20I in Raipur on 16 October, in an 82-run stand with Deepti, and took 2 for 7 in 2 overs in the 2nd T20I, with wickets off her first two deliveries, the first Indian woman to take a wicket off her first ball in T20I cricket. Vaishnavi took 5 for 39 in the 3rd ODI in Vadodara, her maiden five-for. Pratika made 220 runs in the ODI series, including 100 not out off 96 in the 1st ODI.
- Harmanpreet’s role. Harmanpreet remains as a player, not as captain. She made 126 off 121 in the 2nd ODI in Vadodara, and 91 not out off 41 in the 3rd T20I in Raipur.
Deepti Sharma’s numbers, date-split, do not merge: batting to October 2026, Tests 402 runs at 44.67, ODIs 2,877 runs at 37.36, T20Is 1,355 runs at 22.21. Bowling to December 2025, Tests 20 wickets, ODIs 162 wickets, T20Is 152 wickets, total 334 then. Deepti was Player of the Tournament in India’s maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup win in 2025.
Broadcast guide: what is confirmed, what is not
No confirmed India broadcast listing for this specific women’s tour had been found in the sources checked as of 31 October 2026. Do not assert Star Sports or JioHotstar for this tour, on the basis of a generic listing.
To check, closer to 9 December:
- Check CSA’s fixture page, and the BCCI tour page, for the broadcast listing for each match.
- Check the broadcaster’s own schedule, for 9 December, 16 December, 19 December, 22 December, 26 December, 29 December, and 30 December.
- Check SuperSport, the South African home broadcaster, for the South Africa listing.
- Check Sky Sports, UK, and Willow TV, USA-Canada, only as historical patterns, not as confirmed listings for this tour.
Do not use unofficial streaming sites. Unofficial streams are often illegal, they often have malware, and they often stop working in the middle of a match. Use the official broadcast, once it is confirmed, as the safer backup.
For fans, the Test starts at 1:30 PM IST, the ODIs at 1:30 PM IST and 5:30 PM IST, and the T20Is at 9:30 PM IST, which are good times to watch in India. Cricbet99 is a gaming and betting-related platform, not an official broadcaster, and any betting-related features are for adults only, where legally permitted. Use responsibly and check local rules, as betting law in India varies by state.
FAQs
When is the India women South Africa tour?
Only Test 9-12 December 2026, Gqeberha, ODIs 16, 19 and 22 December, Paarl, Cape Town and Bloemfontein, T20Is 26, 29 and 30 December, Benoni and Potchefstroom.
What time do the matches start in IST?
Test 1:30 PM IST daily, 1st ODI 1:30 PM IST, 2nd and 3rd ODIs 5:30 PM IST, all three T20Is 9:30 PM IST.
Who is India’s captain in South Africa?
Mandhana is full-time white-ball captain, appointed 6 October 2026. Test captaincy is not confirmed. Check the squad announcement.
Has the squad been announced?
No, as of 31 October 2026. The Zimbabwe ODI squad of 15 is a guide only.
Where can I watch in India?
No confirmed India broadcast listing had been found as of 31 October 2026. Check CSA’s fixture page, the BCCI tour page, and the broadcaster’s own schedule closer to 9 December.
Are the ODIs part of a championship?
Yes, the ICC Women’s Championship 2025-29, the qualification pathway for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup. The tour is also preparation for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka in February 2027.
Verdict
Use the revised schedule, not the March schedule: Test first, 9-12 December in Gqeberha, then ODIs on 16, 19 and 22 December, then T20Is on 26, 29 and 30 December.
Mandhana’s first away series as full-time captain is the story, against Wolvaardt, who took her No. 1 ODI ranking on 27 October 2026, after a 6-0 home start against Zimbabwe.
Check the BCCI squad announcement for the Test captain, the keeper, Renuka’s fitness, and the young players, and check the broadcast listing closer to 9 December, because no confirmed India broadcast listing had been found as of 31 October 2026.
Want a short South Africa preview once the squad is announced, with the confirmed XI and broadcast listing?