Due to the continued back-and-forth between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 warmup fixtures were delayed. However, the announcement has been finally made, with 15 fixtures finally going to take place before the tournament’s opening day, that is, February 9.
Just 15 days before the huge event, ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the former’s adamant stance of not playing matches in India. Bangladesh accepted that they won’t participate and Scotland, due to the fact that they were the highest-ranked team not qualified for the T20 World Cup, came in as a late replacement. They didn’t have much practice and wanted to adapt to the Indian conditions. Hence, the warmups were necessary. Scotland will play their two practice games at the BCCI’s CoE agianst Afghanistan and Namibia.
India T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up schedule
As far as India are concerned, they are currently playing a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. That series in itself is a dress rehearsal. However, still, the Men in Blue will be seen playing one warm-up game, which will be against South Africa on February 4, just three days before their first league match against the USA. That game will be played at the DY Patil Stadium as reported previously.
Meanwhile, the India ‘A’ side will also help other teams play some warm-up games. The BCCI will select an ‘India A’ side that will take on the USA and Namibia on February 2 and February 6, respectively. Sri Lanka A will also field their team against Oman. Meanwhile, Pakistan and New Zealand will also play one warm-up fixture each.
However, teams like England, Australia, and Sri Lanka won’t play any warm-up fixtures. Just like most of the countries, these three teams are also lined up to play crucial bilaterals just before the T20 World Cup 2026. England, who just won an ODI series in Sri Lanka, will play three T20Is in the country. Australia, meanwhile, travel to Lahore to go head-to-head against Pakistan for three T20Is as well, starting January 29.
ICC T20 World Cup warm-up schedule
| Date | Teams | Venue | Local Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2 | Afghanistan vs Scotland | Bengaluru | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 2 | India A vs USA | Navi Mumbai | 5:00 PM |
| Feb 2 | Canada vs Italy | Chennai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 3 | Sri Lanka A vs Oman | Colombo | 1:00 PM |
| Feb 3 | Netherlands vs Zimbabwe | Colombo | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 3 | Nepal vs UAE | Chennai | 5:00 PM |
| Feb 4 | Namibia vs Scotland | Bengaluru | 1:00 PM |
| Feb 4 | Afghanistan vs West Indies | Bengaluru | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 4 | Ireland vs Pakistan | Colombo | 5:00 PM |
| Feb 4 | India vs South Africa | Navi Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
| Feb 5 | Oman vs Zimbabwe | Colombo | 1:00 PM |
| Feb 5 | Canada vs Nepal | Chennai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 5 | New Zealand vs USA | Navi Mumbai | 5:00 PM |
| Feb 6 | Italy vs UAE | Chennai | 3:00 PM |
| Feb 6 | India A vs Namibia | Bengaluru | 5:00 PM |
All India and India ‘A’ matches are likely to be streamed live on the JioHotstar app and the Star Sports Network.
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