Ireland vs India Prediction, 1st T20I

Ireland (IRE) will take on India (IND) in the first T20I of the series at Stormont Cricket Ground in Belfast on Friday, June 26.

The series provides the Irish team with an opportunity to test itself against a top team. They were last seen in action in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year, where they failed to make it out of a group consisting of Australia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Oman.

This is also India’s first T20I assignments since the T20 World Cup, where they successfully defended their crown and became the first three-time winners of the competition.

They come into this series after a major shake-up, with Shreyas Iyer set to participate in his first series as the newly-appointed skipper of the T20 side. The major talking point from this game will be whether the 15-year-old starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will make his much-awaited debut with the senior side.

IRE vs IND Match Info — India Tour of Ireland 2026, 1st T20I

Ireland Men face India Men in the first of a two-match T20I series at Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast. Both sides will be eager to set the tone for a series that could define Ireland’s aspirations against world cricket’s newest champions.

Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast Pitch Report

Stormont in late June carries day-match conditions with temperatures around 15–18°C and frequent cloud cover. The unpredictable Belfast weather brings intermittent showers, though a full match is expected. The pitch assists seamers and spinners, making early pace bowling valuable.

Given Stormont’s overwhelming chasing bias, the toss winner will bowl first. Ireland winning the toss would be a genuine advantage, they could restrict India to 140–150 and then chase with improved batting conditions. If India bat, they must post 160+ to avoid pressure.

IRE vs IND Head-to-Head Record

India have a perfect 8-0 record against Ireland, but the margins tell a different story. Ireland have pushed India to the edge, losing by just 4 runs in 2022 and 2 runs in 2023—margins suggesting Ireland have the cricket to compete, they simply haven’t found that final momentum.

At a venue where chasing is overwhelming favourite, and with India’s captain in his first match, the narrative could shift.

IRE vs IND Predicted Playing XIs

Ireland (IRE):

Ross Adair, Stephen Doheny, Lorcan Tucker (C & WK), Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Liam McCarthy, Gavin Hoey, Reuben Wilson

India (IND): 

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi/Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

IRE vs IND Win Probability & Match Odds

India arrive as world champions with a perfect 8-0 record against Ireland, but face uncertainty, Shreyas Iyer takes his first assignment as captain, and the squad includes experimental picks like teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Ireland have faced India thrice in four years, losing by just 4 and 2 runs, suggesting they have the blueprint to compete. Critically, Stormont overwhelmingly favours chasing—teams batting first average just 106.86 runs in T20, with first innings teams winning only 14.29% of matches. Chasing teams have won 85.71% here, a massive structural advantage for Ireland.

India’s firepower remains superior. Samson’s World Cup form, Kishan’s aggressive strike rate, and Sooryavanshi’s raw talent suggest India will score 160+, challenging for Ireland to chase. However, home advantage and venue bias give Ireland genuine hope.