MUMBAI: Arch-rivals India and Pakistan have been pooled in one group and will play each other on February 15 in Colombo for the T20 Cricket World Cup, the world cricket body announced on Tuesday.
Defending champions India and Pakistan have been placed in Group A in the 20-team competition co-hosted by Sri Lanka, according to the schedule released by the International Cricket Council in Mumbai.
It will be the first time both teams have played each other since three hotly contested clashes at the 2025 Asian Cup in the UAE, where they skipped the traditional handshake at the draw and post-match greetings.
The Asian Cup was their first meeting since a deadly border conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May.
For the T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a compromise agreement that allows India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multinational tournaments.
The tournament matches will be held from February 7 at five venues in India and three in Sri Lanka.
Cricket’s India, the world’s most populous country, is the epicenter of the T20 game thanks to its lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), which boasts some of the world’s top stars.
The tournament will follow the same format as 2024, with 20 teams in four groups ahead of the Super Eights phase, with the top two finishers from each group advancing to the knockout stages.
The final will be played on March 8 in either Ahmedabad or Colombo, depending on whether Pakistan makes it to the end.
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India will enter the 10th T20 showpiece tournament as defending champions, having beaten South Africa by seven runs in 2024 in Barbados.
Indian fans are eager to see their men’s team win at home for the second time after they won the 50-over World Cup in Mumbai in 2011.
Indian women celebrated a turning point this month when the team won their first World Cup crown by defeating South Africa in the final in Mumbai.
Indian broadcaster JioHotstar said the final’s viewership on its app matched that of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, with a “staggering 185 million users,” according to the ICC.
“It is a pleasure to welcome the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup to the subcontinent so soon after the groundbreaking Women’s Cricket World Cup,” said ICC Chairman Jay Shah.
“The passion for cricket in this region is unmatched and fans are looking forward to another global spectacle.”
Apart from India and Sri Lanka, the 2024 tournament will feature Australia, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, USA and West Indies.
From Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe qualified. From Europe, Ireland, the Netherlands and – for the first time – Italy are also playing.
Also included are Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, is home to a 130,000-seat arena that is the world’s largest cricket stadium, named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The city is in an excellent position to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, with the final announcement to be made on Wednesday.
India is eyeing a bigger prize: last year it submitted a formal letter of intent to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2036 Summer Olympics.