The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday, January 27, confirmed the practice schedule for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Apart from defending champions India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, India A is set to play two practice matches against Namibia and the United States of America (USA).
The ICC T20 World Cup will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. The ICC delayed announcing the warm-up matches after Bangladesh refused to confirm participation citing security concerns about traveling to India, creating uncertainty over pre-tournament planning.
ICC confirms warm-up schedule for T20 World Cup
Defending champions India will play a practice match under the leadership of captain Suryakumar Yadav. The Men in Blue will face South Africa on February 4 in Navi Mumbai.
The practice campaign will begin from February 2 and all the matches in Bengaluru will be played at the COE. Colombo will host Netherlands vs Zimbabwe and Oman vs Sri Lanka ‘A’, while Nepal will face UAE in Chennai.
Australia will test their depth against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 5. The practice phase will conclude on February 6, with Italy taking on UAE in Chennai and Namibia taking on India ‘A’ in Bengaluru.
Complete schedule of warm-up matches of T20 World Cup 2026
| date | match | venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2 February | afghanistan vs scotland | Bengaluru (CoE) |
| usa vs india a | Navi Mumbai | |
| Canada vs Italy | Chennai | |
| 3 February | Oman vs Sri Lanka A | Colombo |
| Netherlands vs Zimbabwe | Colombo | |
| nepal vs uae | Chennai | |
| 4 February | scotland vs namibia | Bengaluru (CoE) |
| afghanistan vs west indies | Bengaluru (CoE) | |
| pakistan vs ireland | Colombo | |
| India vs South Africa | Navi Mumbai | |
| 5th February | zimbabwe vs oman | Colombo |
| nepal vs canada | Chennai | |
| Australia vs Netherlands | Colombo | |
| new zealand vs usa | Navi Mumbai | |
| 6 February | Italy vs UAE | Chennai |
| namibia vs india a | Bengaluru (CoE) |
India will start its T20 World Cup campaign against America on February 7.
Defending champions India will begin their campaign against USA on February 7 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The Indian team is expected to assemble in Mumbai on February 2 or 3 after the five-match T20 series against New Zealand, which will conclude in Thiruvananthapuram on February 1.
India will play a warm-up match against South Africa on February 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also confirmed that Tilak Verma will join the team after completing rehabilitation of his lower abdominal injury at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
The United States, who have been drawn in Group A along with India, Pakistan, Netherlands and Namibia, will play two practice matches on February 3 and 5, with the DY Patil Stadium being considered as the venue. These practice games will allow teams to test combinations and adapt to the conditions before the tournament begins.
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