Matthew Humphreys strikes twice in five balls. IRELAND REGISTER THEIR FIRST-EVER WIN OVER INDIA ACROSS FORMATS! What a poor end to start of Shreyas Iyer's India captaincy this is! Ireland bundle out the visitors for 148 to win the game by 34 runs.

IRE 182/9 (20)
IND 148 (18.5)

OUT! Harshit Rana has his catch dropped at long-on. Jai Moondra bowls a good-length ball, and the batter miscues it down the ground. However, the fielder there drops it. India need 36 runs in 12 balls.

IND 147-8 (18)

OUT! Axar Patel departs! He finds the man at long-on, and this might be the game for Ireland. Gareth Delany gets a wicket on the fifth ball of his spell. India need 46 runs in 19 balls. A mere formality remains in this contest.

IND 137-8 (16.5)

Shivam Dube has been dismissed by India-born pacer Jai Moondra! The fast bowler produces a leading edge from the bat of the southpaw and then takes a brilliant return catch. Ireland are now on top of this game. India need 48 runs in 24 balls.

Shivam Dube c and b Jai Moondra 25(14) [4s-1 6s-2]

IND 135-7 (16)

Shivam Dube slams a six down the ground. This will take some pressure off him and India as well. Matthew Humphreys tosses it up outside off stump, and Dube smashes it for a maximum. Fourteen runs come off the over. India need 54 in 30 balls.

IND 129-6 (15)

This is good batting from the duo of Shivam Dube and Axar Patel. Dube slams the first ball of Harry Tector for a six, and then both batters steal singles to get eleven runs off the over. India need 72 runs in 42 balls.

IND 111-6 (13)

Washington Sundar is OUT! His idea of always searching for a boundary sees him lose his wicket. The southpaw edges the ball in the air while trying to pull it on the leg side. Benjamin Calitz takes the catch at deep mid-wicket.

Washington Sundar c Benjamin Calitz b Matthew Hollard 9(12)

IND 100-6 (12)

OUT! The pressure of a poor strike rate gets the better of Tilak Varma. He goes for a reverse sweep and ends up finding the man at backward point. India are five down. They are in a bit of trouble here. The side needs 93 in 58.

Tilak Varma c Ross Adair b Matthew Humphreys 19(21) [4s-3] 

IND 90-5 (10.2)

Ireland have bowled well so far. This match hangs in the balance. India need 94 runs in 60 balls. A couple more wickets, and Ireland would feel they could dictate the terms. For the visitors, the onus is on the pair of Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar to keep the side going.

IND 89-4 (10)

OUT! That is the end of Abhishek Sharma's knock! He pulls the ball into the hands of the deep mid-wicket fielder. India are four down, and Ireland might sense this wicket as an opportunity to put the hosts under a bit of pressure.

Abhishek Sharma c Matthew Humphreys b Liam McCarthy 50(20) [4s-7 6s-2]

IND 80-4 (8)

Abhishek Sharma slams his fifty in just 19 balls! Unfazed by whatever is happening at the other end, the southpaw races to his half-century. This is the fifth time Abhishek has scored a fifty in 20 or fewer balls. The second-best batter from Full-Member teams on the list have achieved the feat just thrice.

Tilak Varma ends the Powerplay with a classy four on the off side. Matthew Hollard bowls it fuller, and the Indian southpaw drives it through the covers for the boundary. Eight come off the over. India need 115 runs in 84 balls.

IND 68-3 (6)

OUT! Shreyas Iyer is GONE! He flops on his India captaincy debut! Iyer departs after scoring just three off seven balls. He moves across the stumps and flicks the ball, finding the deep square leg. 

Shreyas Iyer c George Dockrell b Matthew Hollard 3(7)

IND 60-3 (5.1)

Abhishek Sharma slams Matthew Hollard for two fours. Twelve runs and a wicket come off the over from the Ireland debutant. The southpaw moves to 46 off 15 balls. India need 126 runs in 96 deliveries.

IND 57-2 (4)

OUT! Matthew Hollard strikes on the second ball of his international career. He starts with a wide delivery before bowling a fuller one to Ishan Kishan. The southpaw tries to hit it cross-batted on the leg side and ends up slicing it in the air. The wicketkeeper backpedals and takes the catch.

Ishan Kishan c Lorcan Tucker b Matthew Hollard 1(5)

IND 45-2 (3.2)

4, 2, 4, 4, 4 - Abhishek Sharma continues to fire on all cylinders! The southpaw takes on Liam McCarthy, smashing four fours on his over. The southpaw moves to 38 off just 11 deliveries. India are off to a flying start in the chase of 183.

IND 45-1 (3)

OUT! Sanju Samson is GONE! Ireland debutant Jai Moondra, who is an India-born player, strikes on the first ball of his international career. He bowls a good-length delivery across the stumps to Samson, and the Indian opener ends up getting an inside edge onto the stumps.

Sanju Samson b Jai Moondra 5(4) [4s-1]

IND 16-1 (1.1)

Spinner Matthew Humphreys starts with a fuller delivery to Abhishek Sharma, who drives it down the ground for a single. Sanju Samson gets on the strike now. India's chase of 183 against Ireland begins.

IND 1-0 (0.1)
 

Axar Patel concedes only four runs in his final over, returning with figures of 2 for 33. Ireland post a fighting total of 182 for 9 in the allotted 20 overs. Harshit Rana turns out to be the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 3 for 24.

IRE 182-9 (20)

Arshdeep Singh removes Gareth Delany on the final ball of his spell. He ends with figures of 2 for 28. Arshdeep cramps the batter for room with a hard-length delivery bowled from over the stumps. Delany miscues it to deep backward square leg and miss his fifty by just one run.

Gareth Delany c Axar Patel b Arshdeep Singh 49(32) [4s-3 6s-3]

IRE 178-7 (19)

Axar Patel gets his first wicket on the first ball of this over. George Dockrell ends up slicing the delivery and Arshdeep Singh moves across at backward point to take the catch. Four runs come off the over.

George Dockrell c Arshdeep Singh b Axar Patel 19(10) [4s-2 6s-1]

IRE 168-6 (18)

4, 1, 4, 6, 6, 6 - Prasidh Krishna wraps up with an extremely poor display. He gets hit for two fours and three consecutive sixes in his final over, returning with figures of 0/57. George Dockrell starts the over with a four and gives the strike to Gareth Delany, who goes berserk and hits one four and three maximums on the trot.

IRE 164-5 (17)

0, N6, Wd, 4, 1, 4, 1, 1 - Washington Sundar gets an over and ends up leaking 19 runs in it! George Dockrell slams the spinner for a maximum and a four, while Gareth Delany also gets a boundary in the over.

IRE 137-5 (16)

OUT! Harshit Rana returns in his spell and strikes! He removes Lorcan Tucker to end the 64-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The pacer bowls on a hard length, and the Ireland captain finds the man at deep mid-wicket.

Lorcan Tucker c Tilak Varma b Harshit Rana 50(36) [4s-5 6s-2]

IRE 115-5 (14.3)

Lorcan Tucker slams his fifty in 35 balls! This is a good knock under pressure. The Ireland captain leads the fightback for his side along with Gareth Delany. The pair has added 60 runs off 41 balls for the fifth wicket so far.

IRE 111-4 (14)

Catch dropped! India let go of yet another opportunity. Lorcan Tucker slams the delivery to the right of Washington Sundar at long-on. The fielder fails to hold on to the catch, and the ball races to the fence. Axar Patel continues to wait for his first wicket.

IRE 90-4 (12.1)

Another drop! Abhishek Sharma drops a catch this time. He runs in from long-off after Gareth Delany hits the Axar Patel delivery in the air. Abhishek fails to hold on to the catch, which should have been taken.

IRE 78-4(11)

Shivam Dube continues his impressive bowling performance. He concedes only three runs in his second over. India are truly in command of things. It's time for spin now as Axar Patel gets ready to bowl the next over.

IRE 68-4 (10)

Prasidh Krishna gives eight runs in his second over. Gareth Delany slams the pacer for a four through long-off. With the mid-off on, Delany slams it over the infield to earn the boundary.

IRE 65-4 (9)

OUT! Birthday boy Shivam Dube strikes on the first ball of his spell! Benjamin Calitz top-edges the ball on the pull shot. Prasidh Krishna backpedals at fine leg and takes a good catch. Ireland are four down.

Benjamin Calitz c Prasidh Krishna b Shivam Dube 15(11) [6s-2]

IRE 51-4 (7.1)

Prasidh Krishna gets his first over and ends up leaking 15 runs in it. He gets smashed for two sixes by Lorcan Tucker. The over also sees Ireland cross the 50-run mark.

IRE 51-3 (7)

Three runs come off Harshit Rana's third over, and this puts an end to the first Powerplay. India dominated the phase, while Ireland lost three wickets. Their batters went for some outrageous strokes and paid the price.

IRE 36-3 (6)

Just three runs come off the third over of Arshdeep Singh. Ireland need a good partnership from the duo of Lorcan Tucker and Benjamin Calitz to make a comeback in the game. They have one over of the Powerplay left.

IRE 33-3 (5)

OUT! Second wicket for Harshit Rana! Ireland batters continue to lose wickets due to some reckless batting. Their shot selection has been extremely poor, and Tim Tector is no exception. Harshit Rana bowls it on a hard length, and Tector edges it in the air.

Tim Tector c Shreyas Iyer b Harshit Rana 17(12) [4s-2 6s-1]

IRE 30-3 (3.4)

OUT! Harry Tector is GONE! A fuller ball from Arshdeep Singh, angling away from the batter and Tector edges on the drive to the wicketkeeper. Ireland are two down. They are in some trouble here. 

Harry Tector c Sanju Samson b Arshdeep Singh 0(3)

IRE 25-2 (3)

2.3 - A tough chance, but you have got to take those at this level. Tim Tector mistimes the Arshdeep Singh delivery in the air, and Shivam Dube backpedals to go for the catch. He gets under it, but the ball pops out of his hands to race to the fence. Dube also breaks his glasses in the process.

Wicket for Harshit Rana! You live by the sword, you die by it! Ross Adair, who was firing on all cylinders, loses his wicket while trying to smash a biggie on the leg side. He ends up edging the ball high in the air while attempting to play a pull shot. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson takes the catch.

Ross Adair c Sanju Samson b Harshit Rana 12(7) [4s-2]

IRE 20-1 (1.5)

It was turning out to be a decent first over from Arshdeep Singh but Tim Tector spoils it with a last-ball six. He smashes it over the deep mid-wicket. Ten runs come off the over.

IRE 10-0 (1)

Ireland openers Tim Tector and Ross Adair are out there in the middle. Arshdeep Singh will bowl the first over for India. Here we go... Arshdeep begins with a fuller delivery outside off stump, Tector fails to take advantage of it, finding the fielder at cover.

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.

Ireland (Playing XI): Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Jai Moondra, Matthew Hollard.

"Would've bowled. Looks a really good pitch. It gives our lads great opportunity. We have Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard making their debut today, so hopefully they can make a big impact," said Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker.

Ireland have new debutants - Jai Moondra and Matt Hollard. Speaking about them, Tucker said, "Jai is a new ball bowler. I think he swings it up top. He has had good success in domestic cricket. Matty's a bit of a basher and a wicket-taker, really," he added.

"Going to field first. It's a new surface for us, first time in Belfast. Considering the conditions, the environment and the wicket, want to field first. He's just asked all the players to be themselves and be relentless in the approach. Ruthless. So many other adverbs I can put in here. Need to get accustomed to the conditions as quickly as possible. We're going to take one match at a time. Always keep saying that you don't have to complicate things. For now we're going with three genuine seamers, 1 allrounder," said India captain Shreyas Iyer.

India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer informs at the toss that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old wonderkid, is not playing. He will thus have to wait for his India debut. "I think he will get his opportunity when the time comes," says Iyer about the player.

Ireland captain Lorcan Tucker flips the coin and India captain Shreyas Iyer calls it right. After winning the toss, Iyer opts to bowl first against Ireland! We wait for the playing XIs.

The toss will take place in just a couple of minutes from now. Stay connected, as both sides will also reveal their playing XIs for the game after the coin is flipped, and we will know if Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is making his India debut or not.

Ireland are missing several front-line players like Josh Little, Mark Adair, Paul Stirling and Curtis Campher owing to injuries. They also have a new captain in Lorcan Tucker, besides having some capable T20 players such as George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Harry Tector and the Indian-origin Jai Moondra in their home conditions. But stopping the reigning T20 world champions, India, will require a whole lot more than that.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will get his opportunity in due time, but it should not come at the expense of a batter scoring runs, India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said on the eve of the game.

"Today evening, captain and head coach will decide about the team. And if he (Vaibhav) plays great, if he doesn't play also for me, that is great because he is part of Indian team. And I am sure that he will get his dues and his opportunities. So I don't think that just to give him an opportunity, we should drop someone who has already been scoring runs," the coach said.

Our first assignment as -time T20I World Champions

Approaching in Belfast #TeamIndia | #IREvIND pic.twitter.com/6QQxGxV3tm

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 26, 2026

At a personal level, Shreyas Iyer will be eager to start his full-time India T20I captaincy stint with a series win and underline his leadership abilities, evident while he was skipper of Kolkata Knight Riders in a title-winning 2024 season. He also led Punjab Kings to the IPL final a year later.

Accommodating teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the starting eleven must be the toughest riddle for the team management as India step into a new T20I era under Shreyas Iyer. Currently, India's top three are: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. And their overall and recent T20 records are not easy to ignore.

Start of something special

Glimpses of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's first time in the #TeamIndia nets #IREvIND pic.twitter.com/zp3mPMch5R

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 26, 2026

Nitish Kumar Reddy, who has suffered a quadriceps injury, has been ruled out of the T20 matches on the UK tour. Uncapped all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who impressed with his performances in IPL 2026 and for India A in the tri-nation A series, has replaced him.

India Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Suryansh Shedge, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav.

Ireland Squad: Tim Tector, Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker(w/c), Gareth Delany, Stephen Doheny, George Dockrell, Benjamin Calitz, Matthew Humphreys, Reuben Wilson, Gavin Hoey, Jai Moondra, Liam McCarthy, Matthew Hollard.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has stunned the cricketing world with his sensational batting. Be it the Indian Premier League or his performances for India U19 and India A, the young prodigy has impressed one and all—so much that the BCCI selectors were forced to hand him a maiden India call-up at a tender age of 15. Now, the biggest question is: when will Sooryavanshi make his senior India debut? Is it today?

Hello everyone, welcome to the India vs Ireland T20I series! The first match takes place today at the Civil Service Cricket Club, Belfast. The toss will take place at 5:30 PM IST, while the action will begin half an hour later. Stay connected!