Mumbai, February 6, 2026 – The defending champions, India, are set to begin their quest for a historic back-to-back T20 World Cup title as they launch their campaign against the United States of America on February 7th at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team aims to achieve what no other team has done before: win consecutive T20 World Cups. Additionally, they are vying to win a T20 World Cup on home soil, a feat that has eluded all teams since the tournament's inception in 2007.
India comes into the tournament as the top-ranked T20I team, boasting a rating of 273. Their recent form has been impressive, including a 4-1 series victory against New Zealand and a convincing win against South Africa in their warm-up match. However, the team has faced some injury concerns in the lead-up to the tournament. Harshit Rana has been ruled out due to a knee injury and has been replaced by Mohammed Siraj. Washington Sundar is also sidelined with an injury. Ishan Kishan is expected to take the wicketkeeper-batter position in the playing XI, ahead of Sanju Samson.
The USA, captained by Monank Patel, will be making their second appearance in the T20 World Cup after reaching the Super 8 stage in their debut in 2024. The USA is placed 18th in the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings with a rating of 175. While they suffered defeats in their preparatory games against India A and New Zealand, they showcased their batting depth by scoring over 200 runs in both matches. The USA squad includes players such as Andries Gous, who led their batting in the previous edition with 219 runs, and Saurabh Netravalkar, who was their leading wicket-taker. Shubham Ranjane is in line to make his T20I debut, while Mohammad Mohsin and Shehan Jayasuriya could also earn their first international caps for the USA.
This will be only the second T20I match between India and the USA. The previous encounter took place during the last edition of the World Cup in 2024, where India secured a 7-wicket victory while chasing a target of 111 in New York. Arshdeep Singh was the standout performer with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 9 runs, while Suryakumar Yadav scored an unbeaten 50.
India's schedule after the opening match includes games against Namibia in Delhi on February 12th, Pakistan in Colombo on February 15th, and the Netherlands in Ahmedabad on February 18th. The top two teams from Group A will advance to the Super Eight phase. The Super Eight phase will be played between February 21st and March 1st, followed by the semi-finals on March 4th and 5th, and the final on March 8th.
The T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will feature 20 teams competing in 55 matches across eight venues. The tournament will run from February 7th to March 8th. India, along with West Indies and England, are the joint-most successful teams in T20 World Cup history, with two titles each. However, this year's tournament will be without veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have retired from T20Is.