Long-time rivals India and Pakistan will clash on February 15 in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Both teams are placed in Group A. The ICC announced the schedule of the tournament, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka on Tuesday. India and Pakistan will play only at neutral venues. On an earlier occasion, India had played its Champions Trophy matches in UAE instead of Pakistan. Pakistan, which did not travel to India to participate in the Women's ODI World Cup, played its matches in Colombo. In the T20 World Cup, too, Pakistan will play their games in Sri Lanka.
The teams that form Group A are India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia. Italy will make its World Cup debut. The event begins on February 7 with a match between the Netherlands and Pakistan. India will begin its campaign on the same day by taking on the USA. Bangladesh and the West Indies also enter the fray on the same day. ICC Chairman Jay Shah released the schedule:
Eight Venues
- In all, eight venues will be used in the T20 World Cup. The five venues in India are Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Delhi. The three venues in Sri Lanka are the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club, and Pallekele. Pakistan will play all matches in Sri Lanka.
- Depending on their qualification, Pakistan's first semi-final on March 4 will take place in either Kolkata or Colombo. The second semi-final will be in Mumbai on March 5. The final will be in Ahmedabad on March 8, with Colombo hosting if Pakistan reach the final.
India’s Schedule
- The first match will be held between India and the USA in Mumbai. It will play against Namibia in Delhi on February 12. After that, India will meet Pakistan on February 15 in Colombo and then play against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
- "Group A is good. You can never know which team will perform in T20s. If two batters and two bowlers show strength, it is enough," said the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Format of the Tournament
The tournament will feature 55 matches in total, including the final. There are twenty teams divided into four groups. The top two teams in each group would proceed to the Super-8 stage. In the Super-8, the teams were divided into two groups of four. The top two teams from each group will go through to the semi-finals.
Groups
- Group A: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia
- Group B: Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman
- Group C: England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy
- Group D: New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada, UAE
Rohit Sharma as Tournament Promoter
The 2026 T20 World Cup has appointed former India captain Rohit Sharma as its promoter. Under his captaincy, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. He retired from T20 internationals after the tournament but is still playing ODIs. Rohit has scored 4,231 runs in T20Is at an average of 32.01 and a strike rate of 140.89. Rohit said, "I am honored to be appointed as World Cup ambassador while still playing cricket. Nobody has done this before.
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