India cricket team’s prolific record in World Cups continues. After winning 10 consecutive games in the 2023 ODI World Cup and going unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2024, the Men in Blue have once again ensured a berth in the final of the marquee event as they defeated England by 7 runs in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2026. Suryakumar Yadav and co. will now lock horns with New Zealand on Sunday in their bid to secure their 2nd consecutive T20 WC trophy.
India’s road to T20 WC 2026 final
India started off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a victorious note by defeating the USA by 29 runs. The contest saw the underdogs troubling the co-hosts quite a bit, putting up a stiff fight against them. In the next game, the Men in Blue defeated Namibia by 93 runs. Boosted by the confidence of two back to back wins, India took down arch-rivals Pakistan in their third league stage match. They then beat Netherlands by 17 runs to finish unbeaten in the group stage of he T20 WC 2026.
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IND (Q) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | +2.500 |
| 2 | PAK (Q) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | +0.976 |
| 3 | USA (E) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | +0.787 |
| 4 | NED (E) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | -1.217 |
| 5 | NAM (E) | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -3.108 |
India suffered their only defeat of the tournament (thus far) in their first Super 8 game against South Africa. Playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2026 were handed a 76-run defeat by the Proteas, providing them a reality check. Thereafter, their remaining Super 8 games against Zimbabwe and West Indies were must-win games.
| Rank | Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RSA (Q) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | +2.259 |
| 2 | IND (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | +0.106 |
| 3 | WI (E) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +0.993 |
| 4 | ZIM (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | -3.415 |
Suryakumar Yadav and co. ensured that they ticked all boxes as they beat ZIM by 72 runs and WI by 5 wickets to make it to the semi-finals. They were up against a formidable England unit in Mumbai. Jacob Bethell played a superb knock of 105 off 48 balls to take England close. But with Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah bowling two excellent overs in the death, India came out as the winner. England managed to end their innings at 246/7, falling 7 runs short of India’s target of 255 runs. India will now be up against New Zealand in their pursuit for their 2nd consecutive T20 World Cup and are only the third team to be playing consecutive WC finals.
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