Traditional rivals India and Pakistan have been clubbed in Group A for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup and will play each other in Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium on February 15, as per the schedule unveiled on Tuesday.
Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka as per the agreement reached between the BCCI and PCB for the tournament.
Reigning champions India will open their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on February 7 before facing Namibia in Delhi on February 12. They will then head to the Sri Lankan capital for the high-voltage clash against Pakistan before concluding their league engagements against the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18.
The showpiece will be held across eight venues (five in India and three in Sri Lanka) from February 7 to March 8.
The tournament will feature 55 matches in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Colombo and Kandy. ICC chairman Jay Shah made the announcement while unveiling the tournament’s schedule.
Group B features Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman while Group C will have England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal and Italy. Group D comprises New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, Canada and UAE.
Rohit is tournament ambassador
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, who captained reigning champions India to glory at the previous T20 World Cup in 2024, was named the tournament ambassador.
Rohit was prolific for India in T20Is, ending with 4231 runs at an average of 32.01 and a strike-rate of 140.89.
Rohit retired from the shortest format following India’s triumph in the Americas last year, which broke an 11-year drought of ICC trophies for the Indian team.
