New Delhi: India defeated England by 7 runs in the thrilling second semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5. The Men in Blue will now face New Zealand in the tournament final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 8.
After beating England in the knockout match, India became the third team in T20 World Cup history to qualify for the second consecutive final. Earlier, two Asian sides, Pakistan (2007 and 2009) and Sri Lanka (2012 and 2014), have achieved the milestone in T20 World Cup history.
Team playing in consecutive T20 World Cup finals
Pakistan: 2007 and 2009
Sri Lanka: 2012 and 2014
India: 2024 and 2026
Samson, Bumrah shine in semifinal
The Men in Blue moved closer to successfully defending their T20 World Cup title after defeating England in a high-scoring semifinal in Mumbai. Sanju Samson’s 89 helped India set a 254-run target for the visitors. England, despite making a poor start, went closer to the target with Jacob Bethell smashing a stunning century. However, brilliant bowling in the death overs helped India to advance.
On a batting surface, the Men in Blue dominated the powerplay after being asked to bat first. Despite losing Abhishek Sharma early, Samson and Ishan Kishan helped India recover to hammer 67 runs in the first six overs. Brook dropped Samson’s easy catch on 15 in the third over.
He then took full advantage of the fielding restrictions and put more pressure on England bowlers with Ishan keeping the tempo up at the other end. The duo put on a show in front of a packed Wankhede crowd before Rashid removed Ishan at the halfway mark.
But, Samson and Shivam Dube (43 off 25) continued the attacking momentum with the all-rounder smashing two maximums into the stands off Rashid. Samson scored 89 runs off 42 balls with the help of eight boundaries and seven maximums. The opener was removed by Will Jacks in the 14th over.
Rashid gave England some hope of restricting India below 250 when he removed Suryakumar. But, the hosts still managed to smash 63 runs in the final four overs with Hardik Pandya (27 off 12) and Tilak Varma (21 off 7) smashing regular boundaries.
Chasing the target, England got off to a disappointing start as Pandya removed Phil Salt in the second over, before Bumrah came into the attack and dismissed Brook with a slower ball. Bethell got England back in the match by attacking spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, but he had the last laugh by removing struggling Jos Buttler in the powerplay.
Tom Banton smashed two sixes against Axar Patel, but an attempt of hitting third consecutive maximum saw him walk back to the dressing room. England still managed to score 119 runs at the halfway mark with Bethell attacking the Indian bowlers.
He forged a 77-run partnership with Jacks to keep England ahead of India in terms of runs, but Bumrah’s two overs changed the match completely. He conceded just eight runs in the 16th, and Arshdeep almost delivered a perfect over, but Bethell hit a boundary and a maximum in the end.
The visitors needed 45 off 18, and Bumrah nailed perfect Yorkers, conceding just six runs in the over. Bethell struck a maximum off the first ball in the penultimate over to complete his century. But Hardik made a comeback by giving away just three runs off the next five deliveries. Dube defended 30 runs in the final over to confirm India’s spot in the final.