India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in style, beating the USA by 29 runs in their first Group A match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. The USA won the toss and decided to bowl first. India didn’t get the best start—Abhishek Sharma fell for a duck and neither Ishan Kishan nor Tilak Varma could really get going. Ishan put up 20 off 16 balls, Tilak added 25, but wickets kept tumbling. Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya barely troubled the scorers.
But Suryakumar Yadav held firm. As the wickets fell around him, he kept India’s innings alive. He powered his way to an unbeaten 84 off just 49 balls, smashing ten fours and four sixes. No one else crossed 30, but thanks to Surya, India managed 161 for 9 in their 20 overs. Axar Patel chipped in with a quick 14 off 11 balls.
Jasprit Bumrah missed out on this match because he was unwell, so India’s bowling attack looked a little different. Still, Mohammed Siraj, stepping in for Harshit Rana, struck early—he got Andries Gous in the second over. The USA then lost Monank Patel and Saiteja Mukkamalla soon after, and although Milind Kumar and Sanjay Krishnamurthy tried to build a partnership, Varun Chakravarthy broke it up before it could really hurt India.
Milind managed 34 off 34 balls with a few boundaries, but wickets kept falling. Sanjay hit 37 off 31, while Harmeet Singh didn’t score. In the final over, the USA lost Shubham Ranjane, who made a quick 37 off 22 balls, belting two fours and three sixes. The USA finished on 132 for 8 after 20 overs—well short of the target. India’s bowlers did the job. Siraj grabbed three wickets, Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up two each, and Chakravarthy added one. Now, the defending champions look ahead to their next group match against Namibia on Thursday.
India’s Playing XI:
Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj.
USA’s Playing XI:
Andries Gous (wicketkeeper), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (captain), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.
