T20 World Cup: India’s quest for historic consecutive titles, Sri Lanka’s strength at home
Here are the key things to know about the men’s Twenty20 World Cup tournament co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, starting on Saturday
India will be chasing a third Twenty20 World Cup title when the 2026 edition, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, gets under way on Saturday.
Defending champions India will be in action on the opening day, taking on the United States team in Mumbai, while Sri Lanka play their opener against Ireland in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital, on Sunday.
The tournament will feature 20 teams divided into four groups of five, with the group stage running until February 20. The playoffs will start with the Super Eights stage from February 21 to March 1, followed by semi-finals on March 4 and 5, and the championship decider on March 8.
No host team have ever won the men’s T20 World Cup, nor have any team lifted the trophy three times (West Indies and England are also two-time champions) – India are aiming to change history on both counts. Here is what to know:
India’s title defence
India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa and then had to wait another 17 years to lift the trophy again, when Rohit Sharma led his squad to victory over the Proteas in the 2024 final in Barbados.
