Defending champions India were handed a favourable draw for the 2026 T20 World Cup, in the tournament schedule that was announced in Mumbai on Tuesday. The biennial event will begin on February 7, with the Suryakumar Yadav-led in Group A, along with Pakistan, Namibia, the USA and the Netherlands. The marquee India versus Pakistan clash will take place on February 15 at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium.
This will be the second instance where an India versus Pakistan World Cup match will be held in Colombo, after the Asian neighbours faced off in the Women’s ODI World Cup match at the same venue in October.
India lead the head-to-head 7-1 in T20 World Cups and have an 13-3 record in T20Is, overall. The last fixture between the teams at a T20 World Cup was in New York, which India won by six runs.
In December 2024, it was decided that all India versus Pakistan matches at global ICC events, which were hosted by either country and featured both the men’s and women’s teams, would take place at a neutral venue during the 2024-2027 event cycle. The upcoming match between the two countries offers an easier solution to the agreement, with Sri Lanka co-hosting the T20 World Cup with India.
Earlier this year, India and Pakistan played the 2025 Champions Trophy encounter in Dubai, with the latter playing host to the tournament. In October, the women’s ODI World Cup clash was held in Colombo, since India were the host.
Aside from Pakistan, India will also play three other matches in the league phase. They will kickstart the tournament against the USA at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on the opening day, before travelling to New Delhi to face Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 12. They will play their final group stage match against the Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 18.
Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will host the semi-finals. Should India reach the semi-final, they will play in Mumbai.
India played the USA in the previous edition in 2024, a contest they won by seven wickets. They beat Namibia in an inconsequential fixture at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai. A year later, they played and beat the Netherlands by 56 runs in the 2022 T20 World Cup match held in Sydney.
The format of the 2026 T20 World Cup is the same as the 2024 edition. The 20 participating teams will be divided into five groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage. The Super Eight teams will then be split into two groups of four, and the top two from each group will progress to the semi-finals. India and the USA had qualified for the Super Eight stage of the tournament from their group in the 2024 edition.
February 7: vs USA, Mumbai: 7:00 p.m.
February 12: vs Namibia, New Delhi: 7:00 p.m.
February 15: vs Pakistan, Colombo: 7:00 p.m.
February 18: vs Netherlands, Ahmedabad, 7:00 p.m.
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