Team India Full Schedule, Date, Time and Venue to be announced soon News24 –
T20 World Cup 2026: The countdown to the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup officially kicks off today, with the ICC set to reveal the full fixture list for what promises to be one of the most anticipated tournaments in recent years. Big names like Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Angelo Mathews and Harmanpreet Kaur will be in attendance for the announcement, which will confirm the dates and venues for the 20-team event to be played across India and Sri Lanka from early February to early March.
India enter the tournament as defending champions, having finally ended their long ICC trophy drought with the 2024 T20 World Cup win in the USA and West Indies. With the schedule drop, the focus now shifts to how the hosts will navigate their home title defence and which cities get to stage the biggest moments.
Tournament Format and Teams Locked In
Most of the framework is already in place. The event will follow the now-familiar 20-team structure: four groups of five, followed by a Super-8 stage, then the semi-finals and final. The line-up is set too, with cricket’s traditional heavyweights – India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh joined by fast-rising teams like Nepal, Oman, the UAE and Italy.
The early group projections have already sparked plenty of chatter. India find themselves in what looks like a manageable group with Pakistan, the USA, Namibia and the Netherlands. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have drawn what many are calling the “group of death,” featuring Australia, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Oman. Only two teams progress from each group, meaning one major side could bow out early.
Pakistan to Play Exclusively in Sri Lanka
A key operational detail already confirmed is the neutral-venue arrangement for Pakistan’s matches. All of Pakistan’s games – including the blockbuster clash against India will be staged in Sri Lanka. It adds another twist to an already complex tournament, especially with the cross-border rivalry scheduled to unfold outside India.
What Today’s Announcement Will Clarify
While the broad structure is known, the real buzz is around the nuts and bolts:
- Which Indian cities will host group-stage games?
- How will the knockout path shape up?
- Will Ahmedabad retain hosting rights for the final?
Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi are among the frontrunners for India-based fixtures. Colombo and Kandy are expected to headline Sri Lanka’s share of the tournament. Ahmedabad is currently the preferred venue for the final unless Pakistan makes it there, in which case Colombo becomes the alternate.
Once the ICC releases the full schedule, fans will finally know where every marquee game lands, from India vs Pakistan to potential heavyweight clashes in the Super Eight. The pieces are set; now it’s about pencilling in the dates and mapping out the journey to what could be another historic month for world cricket.
The stage is nearly set for T20 cricket’s biggest spectacle and the world is ready for the first ball.