T20 World Cup 2026: India hosts exciting matches, Team India's key match against Pakistan set for this day
The T20 World Cup 2026 is coming soon, and India will host this big cricket event for the first time since 2016. The Indian team, the defending champions, will start their campaign in the tournament with a match against the USA at the Narendra Modi Stadium on February 8.
Reports say that India’s group also includes Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. A key match against Pakistan is likely set for February 15 in Colombo. The India-Pakistan match is taking place in Colombo because BCCI and PCB agreed that the teams would play at neutral venues instead of traveling to each other's countries.
The last T20 match between India and Pakistan was on June 9, 2024, during the World Cup, where India won by 5 runs. In the Asia Cup, India and Pakistan faced each other three times, and India won all three matches.
The tournament will be held from February 7 to March 8 and will be the first T20 World Cup played during the Asian winter.
Mumbai is expected to host one of the semi-finals on March 5, and the final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8. If Pakistan makes it to the semi-finals, they will play in Colombo, and if Sri Lanka qualifies, they will also play at home.
The India-Pakistan match is always a big event in cricket, and it is expected to attract a lot of attention, even though recent matches have been one-sided. The rivalry between the two teams is not just about cricket; it has deeper political tensions, making the match even more exciting.
India is the defending champion of the T20 World Cup, having won against South Africa in the last final.
The BCCI has picked five venues in India—Ahmedabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai—and three in Sri Lanka, with Colombo being one of them.
India’s schedule for the T20 World Cup 2026
Group: India, USA, Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands
Fixtures
vs USA in Ahmedabad on 8 February
vs Namibia in Delhi on 12 February
vs Pakistan in Colombo on 15 February
vs Netherlands in Mumbai on 18 February