The build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 hasn’t been smooth at all. A full member of the ICC team has been replaced by Scotland, there has been a sporadic release of much-awaited match tickets and now Pakistan has decided to boycott India in the event.
Apart from this, the ICC hasn’t officially released the schedule for the T20 World Cup warm-ups. However, the practice games’ fixtures were released to cricket media houses. There are a total of 15 warmup games that will be played from February 2 to February 6.
As for India, they will be playing one practice game, which will be against South Africa on February 4 at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. Teams like England, Australia, and Sri Lanka won’t play any warm-up fixtures. However, to make up for them, there will be an India ‘A’ team that will be in action. Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Ayush Badoni, Ravi Bishnoi and all other IPL stars are part of the India ‘A’ squad that will play two games.
India A in action on February 2
Today marks the opening day of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up fixtures. Afghanistan, part of Group D, are set to face Scotland in the first game that starts at 3:00 PM IST at the BCCI CoE. Afghanistan recently won a 3-match bilateral series against the West Indies in the UAE. Now, they have a practice game against a side that needs all the time to prepare.
Two weeks back, Scotland didn’t even know that they will play the T20 World Cup 2026. After all, they lost the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Europe Region Final 2025, forcing them to miss out on a 20-team T20 World Cup tournament. However, as the fate would have it, they have replaced Bangladesh, who decided to boycott the tournament due to security concerns.
Scotland had no time to prepare, with them facing tight timelines to ready their jerseys, sponsors and visas. Now, they play two warm-up games that will mean so much to them.
India A, meanwhile, will lock horns with the USA at 5:00 PM IST. There’s no confirmation if this match will be live streamed. However, it would be interesting to see how Tilak Varma performs, who will be making his comeback after missing the entire India vs New Zealand T20I series. Ayush Badoni is the captain, while Mayank Yadav also marks his return alongside Riyan Parag from injuries.
Canada vs Italy is the third and last warm-up game of the day. It will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after the ground underwent renovation work for the tournament. Playing their first-ever World Cup, Italy recently played a 3-match T20I series against Ireland and even beat them in the third fixture, marking their maiden win against an ICC full-member nation.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 – Warm-up Matches (Feb 2)
| Match | Fixture | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Match | Afghanistan vs Scotland | BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, Bengaluru | 3:00 PM |
| 2nd Match | India A vs United States of America | Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai | 5:00 PM |
| 3rd Match | Canada vs Italy | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:00 PM |
Catch the full ICC T20 World Cup warm-up schedule here.
