Bitter rivals India and Pakistan are in the same group. They will play each other on February 15 in Colombo. This match is part of the T20 World Cup, cricket’s world body announced Tuesday.
India and Pakistan are the defending champions. They have been placed in Group ‘A’. This is in the 20-team competition being co-hosted by Sri Lanka. The International Cricket Council released the schedule in Mumbai.
It will be the first time the two teams play each other. Their last encounter was during the three heated contests at the 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE. During those matches, they skipped the customary handshake at the toss. They also missed the post-match greetings.
The Asia Cup marked their first meeting. They had not met since a deadly border conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
The T20 World Cup will see Pakistan playing all their matches in Sri Lanka. This is part of a compromise deal. It allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
Matches in the tournament will be held from February 7 across five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.
Cricket-made India is the epicentre of the T20 game. It is the world’s most populous nation. The country hosts the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), which boasts top global stars.
The tournament will use the same format as 2024. It will have 20 teams in four groups. This will be followed by a Super Eights phase. The top two finishers from each group will make it to the playoffs.
The final will be played on March 8 either in Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan go all the way.
India enter the sport’s 10th edition of the showcase T20 tournament as reigning champions. They beat South Africa by seven runs in 2024 in Barbados.
Indian fans are dreaming of seeing their men’s team win a second time at home. They remember when the team clinched the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai in 2011.
India’s women celebrated a watershed moment this month. The team won their first World Cup crown. They beat South Africa in the final at Mumbai.
Indian broadcaster JioHotstar said the viewing figures of the final on their app matched that of the men’s T20 World Cup 2024 summit clash, a “staggering 185 million users”, according to the ICC.
Alongside hosts India and Sri Lanka, top finishers from the 2024 edition taking part are Australia, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, United States and West Indies.
From Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe have qualified. From Europe, Ireland, the Netherlands and — for the first time — Italy are also playing.
Also included are Nepal, Oman and United Arab Emirates. Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, is home to a 130,000-seater arena. It is the world’s biggest cricket stadium. The stadium is named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The city is in prime position to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with a final announcement on Wednesday.
India has its eyes on a bigger prize. It submitted a formal letter of intent last year to the International Olympic Committee. The intent is to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.
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