GUWAHATI: India and Sri Lanka will co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with the complete schedule unveiled on November 24 at an event in Mumbai. The event was attended by ICC Chairman Jay Shah, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, women’s captain Harmanpreet Kaur, and Rohit Sharma, who has been appointed as an ICC Brand Ambassador for the tournament.
India will begin their title defense with a night match against the United States at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 7. The opening day will also see Pakistan compete against the West Indies at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, alongside the West Indies’ first match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The tournament will take place across eight venues, including Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata in India, as well as Colombo, Kandy, and SSC Ground in Sri Lanka.
The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is set to host the final on March 8. This venue will remain the primary location unless Pakistan qualifies for the final, in which case it will move to Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. A similar condition applies to Semi-Final 1, planned for Kolkata, which will also shift if Pakistan advances. Semi-Final 2 will be in Mumbai, but if India meets Pakistan in the knockout stages, it will switch to Colombo.
The tournament will follow the same format as the 2024 event, where India won the trophy in Barbados. Twenty teams are divided into four groups of five, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Eights based on pre-determined seedings.
The drawn groups are as follows: Group A includes India, USA, Namibia, Netherlands, and Pakistan; Group B comprises Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman; Group C features England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy, and Nepal; and Group D consists of South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Canada, and the UAE. Matches involving Sri Lanka and Pakistan will exclusively take place at Sri Lankan venues.
Jay Shah expressed that returning the tournament to the subcontinent will generate immense enthusiasm. He recalled the recent success of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, noting that cricket’s popularity in the region ensures packed stadiums and an electrifying atmosphere. He highlighted the inclusion of T20 cricket in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as a significant milestone for the format’s global growth.
This will mark the second time India and Sri Lanka host the T20 World Cup, following the 2012 edition in Sri Lanka and India’s hosting in 2016. Both previous tournaments were won by the West Indies, the only team to claim the title twice alongside India and England. Other past winners include Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
Original Source: https://www.guwahatiplus.com/india/india-sri-lanka-unveil-full-schedule-for-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-2026
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Publish Date: 2025-11-25 21:12:00
