T20 World Cup 2026 has started. This tournament will be played till March 8. A total of 55 matches will be played during this period. These include 40 matches of group stage, 12 matches of Super-8, two semi-finals and one final. By excluding Bangladesh, the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave entry to Scotland in the tournament and released the updated schedule of the tournament. Bangladesh was in Group C and Scotland was placed in Group C. Many high voltage matches will be seen in this Mahakumbh of cricket to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. However, Pakistan decided to withdraw from the biggest match of the tournament on 15 February. That day the match between India and Pakistan was to be held in Colombo, but PCB announced boycott of this match. In such a situation, the fun for the fans will definitely be a bit bitter, but the loss is only for Pakistan. If it loses against other teams in Group-A, then the path to Super-8 will become difficult for it.
Three matches every day till 19th February
In the initial phase i.e. group stage, cricket fans will get to see the thrill of three matches almost every day. The special thing is that till February 19, the tournament will be in its busiest phase, where three consecutive matches will be played every day. After this, the Super-Eight round will run from February 21 to March 1. Two semi-final matches will be played on March 4 and March 5, while the final will be played on March 8. Under the agreement, Pakistan will play all its matches in Sri Lanka only. If the team reaches the final then the final will also be played in Colombo. Otherwise the final will be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
What time will the match be?
Of the three matches that will be played till February 19, the first match will be played from 11 am Indian time, the second match from 3 pm and the third match from 7 pm. The tournament will start on February 7 with the match between Pakistan and Netherlands in Colombo. At the same time, India will also play its first match at Wankhede on 7th February. This match will be played from 7 pm onwards. The second match on February 7 will be between West Indies and Scotland at Eden Gardens. The group-stage matches will end with the Australia-Oman match on 20th February. After this, one match each will be played in the Super-8 round on 21st, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 27th and 28th February. At the same time, two matches will be played in the Super-8 round on 22 February, 26 February and 1 March. If there is a match in Super-8, then the match will be played from 7 pm Indian time. And if there are two matches then the first match will be played from 3 pm and the second from 7 pm. All the matches of semi-finals and finals will start at 7 pm.
Understand the complete format from group stage to final
How will the matches be played in the group stage?
A total of 20 teams will participate in the group stage. ICC has adopted the same big and balanced format this time too, so that the associate teams can get more opportunities and the matches remain exciting. The 20 teams are divided into four groups (A, B, C and D), with each group consisting of five teams. Each team will play four matches against the remaining four teams of its group. The team will get two points on win, one point on no result, and zero points on loss. After the group stage, the top two teams of each group will enter the Super-8 stage.
The game will change in Super-8
The eight teams that qualify from the group stage will play in the Super-8 stage. Here these teams will be divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team will play three matches against the other three teams in its group. ICC has already decided the seeding system for Super-8. However, if a bigger or seeded team is eliminated in the group stage, the team that qualified by defeating it will play the Super-8 in the same slot. That means the code that was given to the old team will not change, only the team will change. For example, the four groups are as follows-
Group A: India (X1), Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan (Y3), USA
Group B: Australia (X2), Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka (Y4), Zimbabwe
Group C: England (Y1), Italy, Nepal, Scotland, West Indies (X3)
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand (Y2), South Africa (X4), UAE
After this, when the teams qualify for Super-8, they will be divided into two groups X and Y. ICC has already decided the seeded teams. If the same teams qualify then the Super-8 group will look like this-
Group 1 Seed (X): India, Australia, West Indies, South Africa
Group-2 Seeds (Y): England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
If these teams qualify for Super-8 from their respective groups, then they will have to play the matches in the same format. If there is an upset and any other team from its group stakes claim for the Super-8, then the already seeded team replacing it will take its place. Suppose, if India reaches Super-8 from Group A and America remains second in the group, then America will come in place of Pakistan in Group-2 seed of Super-8. Similarly, it is with other teams too. Path to semi-finals and finals: After Super-8, the top two teams of each group (X and Y) will make it to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the top team of one group will face the runner-up team of the other group. The teams winning both the semi-finals will face each other in the title match.
No tie, there will be a clear result
The result of every match in the T20 World Cup is certain. In case of a tie, the winner will be decided through a super over. ICC believes that this format will not only increase the excitement of big matches, but will also give a golden opportunity to small teams to prove themselves. Overall, every stage in the 2026 T20 World Cup from the group stage to the final will be full of excitement. In this battle of 20 teams, each match will matter and fans will get to see high-voltage cricket throughout the tournament.
India-Sri Lanka matches will be held in these stadiums
The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. ICC has fixed a total of eight venues for this mega tournament, which includes five grounds in India and three in Sri Lanka. The rules of the tournament have been kept the same as the 2024 edition, so that the matches remain fast, exciting and fair.
In which stadiums will the matches be held in India?
T20 World Cup matches in India will be played in five major cities.
Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
MA. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Among these, Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will be special, because it is the largest cricket stadium in the world with a capacity of 1.32 lakh spectators. At present the plan is to hold the final match here.
These grounds will be host in Sri Lanka
Three stadiums have been selected in Sri Lanka—
R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
Sinhalese Sports Club Ground (SSC), Colombo
Pallekele Cricket Stadium
Venue may change due to Pakistan’s entry
A special provision has also been kept in the ICC program.
If Pakistan reaches the semi-finals or finals, then
The first semi-final will be played in Colombo instead of Kolkata.
And if Pakistan reaches the final then the final will also be shifted from Ahmedabad to Colombo.
At the same time, if India also reaches the semi-finals and does not face Pakistan in the last-4, then Team India will play the second semi-final in Mumbai on March 5.
When facing Pakistan, India will have to play the semi-finals in Colombo. This match will decide where the final will be held.
Main rules of T20 World Cup 2026
Every match will be of 20-20 overs.
Powerplay of 6 overs at the beginning of each innings.
The total duration of a match will be approximately 3 hours 10 minutes.
There will be 1 hour 25 minutes for each inning, with a break of 20 minutes in between.
Stop-clock rule: The bowling team must start each over within 60 seconds
Each team is allowed two unsuccessful reviews per innings.
Super overs if scores are tied, and consecutive super overs if necessary.
In case of rain or any kind of obstruction, Duckworth-Lewis rule will apply.
In the group stage, according to Duckworth-Lewis rule, at least 5 overs of play is required in both the innings to get the result.
In the semi-finals and finals, a minimum of 10 overs must be played in both the innings to get the result as per Duckworth-Lewis rule.
The ICC has not yet made a final announcement regarding the reserve day and additional time for the knockout matches.
