India and England (IND vs ENG), two giants of world cricket are about to clash in the second semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup. The match is set for Thursday at Mumbai’s legendary Wankhede Stadium. India punched their ticket to the semis after Sanju Samson smashed an unbeaten 97 off just 50 balls to take down West Indies in their last Super 8 match.
In the Super 8s, India finished second in Group 1, picking up four points with two wins out of three. Their only slip-up so far came against South Africa, who topped the group. Aside from that, India swept through the group stage without dropping a single match.
Suryakumar Yadav leads the way for India in the runs department, racking up 231 at an average of 38.50 and a strike rate of 135.88. Ishan Kishan isn’t far behind, hammering 224 runs at a blazing strike rate of 185.12. On the bowling side, Varun Chakravarthy has been outstanding, picking up 12 wickets with an average of 15.33 and an economy rate of 7.66.
England has looked just as sharp. They topped Group 2 in the Super 8s, winning all three of their games. Captain Harry Brooke has been solid, scoring 228 runs at 32.57, and even notched up his first T20I century against Pakistan. Adil Rashid leads their bowling attack with 11 wickets so far, while Liam Dawson and Jofra Archer have picked up 10 each.
Will Jacks has been England’s man for all seasons. He’s scored 206 runs, taken seven wickets and picked up Player of the Match honours in four of England’s seven games. Both teams know what it takes to win this tournament. India lifted the trophy in 2007 and 2024, while England took it home in 2010 and 2022.
Looking at the numbers, India have the edge in head-to-heads with 17 wins to England’s 12 in top-level matches. In T20 World Cups, they’ve met five times, with India coming out on top three times, including a key semi-final win last time around. England have beaten India twice in T20 World Cup finals.
As for the weather in Mumbai, it’s going to be hot and sticky. Daytime temps will push 39°C, dropping to about 23°C at night. The sun will be out, the sky a little hazy, but there’s no rain in sight. So the match should go ahead without a hitch. That said, players and fans alike are in for a sweaty afternoon.
India Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh
England Predicted XI: Jos Buttler (wk), Phil Salt, Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Rehan Ahmed, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
