MUMBAI: India and Pakistan will be locking horns with each other in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next year in Colombo on February 15, as per the tournament schedule, which the International Cricket Council (ICC) will unveil in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The marquee contest will mark the first time the two teams square off following a trilogy of heated matches that India won during this year’s Asia Cup, which also saw plenty of on- and off-field controversy. This will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium and will be India’s third match. According to ESPNCricinfo, India and Pakistan have been grouped with the USA, Namibia, and the Netherlands.
India will start their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7, the opening day of the tournament, following which ‘Men in Blue’ will head to Delhi for the clash against Namibia scheduled for February 12. Their final group game would be against the Netherlands at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
During the group stages, three matches will take place in a day.
The 2026 edition of the tournament will be held from February 7 to March 8, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan playing all their games at Colombo or Kandy. The format of the tournament is unchanged, with 20 teams divided into groups of four with five teams each.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super Eight stage, where the teams will be divided into groups of four. The top two teams from each will move to the semifinals.
If India moves to the Super Eight stage, their three Super Eights clash will be in Ahmedabad, Chennai and Kolkata. If India makes it to the semifinals, their semifinal will be held in Mumbai. The other semifinal location is Colombo or Kolkata, depending on whether Pakistan or Sri Lanka qualify. The final will be played in Ahmedabad. But if Pakistan makes it to the title clash, it is likely to be moved to Colombo.
Other than India and Sri Lanka, the two hosts, the other 18 teams taking part in the tournament are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America, West Indies, New Zealand, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Nepal, Oman and UAE.
India is the defending champion, having beaten South Africa in the final of the 2024 edition at Barbados. (ANI)
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