Colombo, February 14 – The highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the 2026 T20 World Cup is set to proceed as planned after a dramatic event on Sunday at the R Premadasa Stadium. Here's a look back at the India vs. Pakistan rivalry in past T20 World Cups.
Defending champions India began their campaign with a victory over the United States and arrived in Colombo after defeating Namibia by 93 runs. Pakistan, on the other hand, faced significant challenges against the Netherlands before securing a thrilling victory in their opening match. They followed this up with a dominant performance against the USA.
India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group in the opening stages of the past five editions of the T20 World Cup, as well as the previous two 50-over World Cup competitions. The last time they were in separate groups was the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, although they eventually faced off in the semi-final, with India defeating Pakistan before winning the final against Sri Lanka.
The history of the India-Pakistan rivalry in the T20 World Cup heavily favors the "Men in Blue." To date, the two teams have played each other eight times in the T20 World Cup, with India winning seven times, while Pakistan has only managed one victory (in 2021).
Furthermore, India have enjoyed remarkable success at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Since 2009, they have played 15 T20I matches at the venue, winning 11 and losing only four, highlighting their consistency in Sri Lankan conditions.
Additionally, the threat of rain looms large over the high-intensity encounter, as weather forecasts predict a strong possibility of rain in Colombo on Sunday.
According to projections, Colombo faces a 76% chance of rain during the day on Sunday, with the probability dropping to 13% in the evening with 100% cloud cover.
When: Sunday, February 15, 7:00 PM IST
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo
Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming
Squads
India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
