After crushing New Zealand 4-1 in an eccentric, high-scoring T20I series, Team India has flipped the switch — they’re all in for the T20 World Cup 2026. This time, India and Sri Lanka are hosting the grand tournament and the action kicks off February 7. India isn’t hiding their intent as they beat South Africa by 30 runs in their only warm-up match, and honestly, that’s a pretty loud message — they want to retain that trophy at any cost.
All eyes are on India. Last year, they finally broke a 17-year drought and won the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, knocking off South Africa in the final. That was only their second T20 World Cup win— the first came back in 2007 with MS Dhoni leading the way. Now, Suryakumar Yadav’s running the show, and he’s got a shot at making history. No team has ever won back-to-back T20 World Cups.
Suryakumar brings a fresh vibe. He’s known for his fearless batting, but he stays cool under pressure. India plays their opener against the USA at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Home turf, a roaring crowd — those are big advantages.
India is pitted in Group A, along with Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, and Namibia. The group stage is a minefield, especially the match against Pakistan. Those games are always electric, and this one’s already surrounded by drama. From each of the four groups, two teams move on to the Super 8s.
Know the pitch
Wankhede Stadium usually gives batters a pretty good time. The ball comes on nicely. So, once you settle in, runs flow specially with those short boundaries. Fast bowlers might get a little help at the start. But after that, it’s mostly the batters’ game. That’s something the USA team can take heart from—if their batters handle India’s pace attack early, they’ve got a shot. The last men’s T20 here? India hammered England by 150 runs back in February 2025.
Weather report of Mumbai
As for the weather in Mumbai, it looks about perfect for cricket. There is no rain in sight with clear skies. Expect temperatures hovering around 28 or 29 degrees,. Apart from that, humidity won’t bother anyone too much. All in all, nothing should get in the way of a full and uninterrupted match.
Here’s India’s schedule for the group stage:
February 7: vs USA – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
February 12: vs Namibia – Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
February 15: vs Pakistan – R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
February 18: vs Netherlands – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2026:
Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana (who’s probably getting dropped).
