New Delhi: Suryakumar Yadav-led India will play one warm-up match before the start of the T20 World Cup 2026. India are currently locking horns with New Zealand in the ongoing five-match T20I series between the two sides. The two teams will play the final fifth T20I of the series in Thiruvananthapuram on January 31.
The Indian team will then reassemble in Mumbai on January 03 ahead of the start of the T20 World Cup. The showpiece event is set to get underway on February 07, with defending champions India scheduled to take on USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on the opening day of the tournament.
Ahead of their tournament opener, India will play a warm-up match against South Africa on February 04. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the warm-up match between India and South Africa will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The game is likely to be India’s only warm-up fixture before the T20 World Cup.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to announce the official schedule of the warm-up matches involving all teams ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026. As per Cricbuzz, the delay is due to the confusion and the controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s exit from the tournament after they refused to travel to India to play their matches.
The ICC on Saturday announced Scotland as a replacement for Bangladesh after the BCB refused to change its stance of not travelling to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, citing security concerns. There were multiple meetings between ICC and the BCB, where the world governing body tried to convince the Bangladesh board to reverse its stance, however, their efforts went in vain.
India in Group A in T20 World Cup 2026
Defending champions India are part of Group A in the T20 World Cup 2026 alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, Netherlands, USA and Namibia. The two-time winners will open their campaign against USA in Mumbai on February 07 before locking horns with Namibia in their next game on February 18.
India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in a marquee clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15. The Men in Blue will play their final group-stage match against Netherlands at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 18.