T20 World Cup gets under way today

2026-02-07 - 04:48

The ICC 2026 Twenty20 World Cup cricket tournament, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, gets under way today (7). Three matches will be played on the opening day of the tournament. The first match, between Pakistan and the Netherlands, will be played at the SSC Ground in Colombo and is scheduled to begin at 11.00 a.m. as a day match. The other two matches will be played in India, with the West Indies taking on Scotland in Kolkata, and hosts India facing the United States in Mumbai. Sri Lanka’s first match will be against Ireland, and that match will be played tomorrow (8) at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium. This is the 10th edition of a World Cup to be held in the Twenty20 format, which is recognised as the fastest and most exciting format of the game. Sri Lanka previously hosted the tournament in 2012, while India hosted it separately in 2016. A larger number of matches in the tournament will be played in India, with venues in Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Matches in Sri Lanka will be played across three grounds in Colombo and Pallekele. The tournament, including the final, comprises a total of 55 matches, of which 20 are scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka. However, if Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals and the final, the number of matches played in Sri Lanka will increase to 22. The tournament will once again feature 20 teams. Sri Lanka will compete in Group B, which also includes Australia, Ireland, Oman and Zimbabwe.