India May Not Play T20 World Cup 2026 Semi-Final In Mumbai. Pakistan Dependence Explained

India may not be able to play a potential T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. As it stands, if India qualify from the Super 8 and enter the semi-finals, they will play the second semi scheduled in Mumbai. However, that can change under one condition. If the Super 8 groups pan out in a manner that sets up a semi-final between India and Pakistan, then India would have to travel to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo to play the match.

If India finish first in their Super 8 group and Pakistan finish second, or vice-versa, then the two sides will clash in the semi-finals.

In that case, India would not play the second semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on March 5, but instead play the first semi-final in Colombo on March 4. Such an occurrence would also mean that Team India will have to play on the day of Holi, which is a major festival in the country.

"If India and Pakistan meet in the semi-finals, that match will be staged in Colombo, while Mumbai will host Semi-Final 2 involving India if they face any team other than Pakistan," the ICC had stated via an earlier release.

Pakistan qualifying for the semi-finals would also mean that the venue of the first semi-final would be changed from the Eden Gardens in Kolkata to the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

India would have to travel to Sri Lanka to play Pakistan in a semi-final due to the hybrid model agreement between the two nations. The agreement runs till 2027, and mentions that all matches between the two Asian rivals will be played at a neutral venue.

Interestingly, despite being the co-hosts of the tournament, Sri Lanka will have to travel to India to play a potential semi-final.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket