T20 World Cup 2026: India once again proved too strong for Pakistan in another charged T20 World Cup clash in Colombo. They didn’t just win, they dominated and crushed Pakistan by 61 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium and booking their spot in the Super 8. India put up 175 for 7 in their 20 overs, thanks to a blistering 77 from Ishan Kishan off just 40 balls. The captain, Suryakumar Yadav, added 32, Shivam Dubey chipped in with 27 from 17, and Rinku Singh smashed 11 off just three balls at the end.
Pakistan, chasing 176, just never got going. They folded for 114, marking their eighth loss to India in T20 World Cup history. Out of all their meetings in this tournament, Pakistan has beaten India only once, back in 2021. Right now, the head-to-head reads 8-1 in India’s favour.
In this high-profile clash, Pakistan won the toss and put India into bat, trying to shake things up by opening the bowling with their captain, Salman Ali Agha. The move paid off immediately when Salman dismissed Abhishek Sharma for a duck in the first over. But that early breakthrough was about as good as it got for Pakistan.
Ishan Kishan came out swinging. He tore into the bowlers and powered India to 52 runs in the powerplay, blasting his way to 42 off 25 balls. Tilak Varma tried to back him up, but it was all Ishan for a while. He eventually fell for 77 in the ninth over, having smashed 10 fours and three sixes.
The pitch started to slow down after that, making it tough for India’s middle order. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma worked to steady things, but runs weren’t coming easy. Tilak, feeling the heat, went for a big shot and got caught off Saim Ayub at 126. On the very next ball, Hardik Pandya tried to go big and got caught by Babar Azam at long off. Saim Ayub was hungry for a hat-trick, but couldn’t quite get it. India lost a couple more wickets in the final over, wrapping up at 175 and setting Pakistan a steep target.
Pakistan’s chase started badly and just kept getting worse. Sahibzada Farhan, who’s been in good form, went for a duck to Hardik Pandya in the first over. Saim Ayub cracked a six off Jasprit Bumrah, but Bumrah cleaned him up LBW on the next ball and then sent Salman Ali Agha packing for just 4 in the same over. Pakistan were in deep trouble almost immediately.
Babar Azam, Pakistan’s anchor, didn’t last long either and was bowled for just 5. Four wickets down in the powerplay, Pakistan never really recovered. Usman Khan showed some fight with a gritty 44, and Shadab Khan hung around for 14, but the pressure never let up.
Once Axar Patel got Usman stumped, the collapse was on. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan followed quickly, and the last few wickets were just a formality. Pakistan were bowled out for 114 in 18 overs. Shaheen Afridi managed 23 and survived two chances, but by then, the match was long gone. In the end, India just looked a class apart once again.
