COLOMBO – In a much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 encounter at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first against arch-rivals India.
Playing XIs
Both teams have announced their playing XIs, with Pakistan featuring Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Usman Khan (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Usman Tariq.
India’s lineup includes Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Historically, India have dominated the T20 rivalry, winning 13 of the 16 encounters, while Pakistan have emerged victorious only three times.
Their last meeting came in the previous T20 World Cup, when India successfully defended a modest 120-run target to beat Pakistan by six runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Specifically in T20 World Cups, the record is heavily in India’s favor, with seven wins out of eight clashes against Pakistan.
Both teams enter this blockbuster clash on strong form. Pakistan have won their last five T20Is, while India have suffered just one defeat in their last five completed matches.
In the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, both sides remain unbeaten after two games each. Pakistan began their campaign with a win over the Netherlands before comprehensively defeating the USA, placing them second in Group A on net run rate behind defending champions India, who edged past the USA and Namibia.
With momentum on their side and a packed stadium awaiting, the stage is set for another thrilling India-Pakistan showdown, where both bragging rights and crucial World Cup points are on the line.
