T20 World Cup 2026: India Upstages Spirited England In Thrilling Contest, Storms Into Final

Mumbai: India defeated England by seven runs in a nail-biting semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to enter T20 World Cup final. India will take on New Zealand for the title in Ahmedabad on March 8. In the second semi-final played at the Wankhede Stadium, the Indian team delivered a stunning performance, handing England a thrilling defeat. This avenged their loss to England in the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final, played in Adelaide, Australia.

Batting first, India posted a mammoth total of 253, led by Sanju Samson's brilliant 89. Jacob Bethell responded with a brilliant century for England. England needed 30 runs off the last over, but Shivam Dube secured India's victory by 7 runs.

The T20 World Cup final between India and New Zealand will be played on March 8th at the world's largest cricket stadium, the Narendra Modi Stadium. New Zealand defeated South Africa by 9 wickets in the first semi-final, which was played at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.

How did the match pan out?

The second semi-final of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 was played on Thursday (March 5) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where India and England faced each other. India won the match by seven runs. India had set England a target of 254 runs to win. Chasing the target, the English team could only manage 246 for seven wickets.

Jacob Bethell scored 105 runs off 48 balls for England, including 8 fours and 7 sixes. The Indian team will now face New Zealand in the final on March 8. That match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The Indian team will be aiming for a second consecutive title.

This is the third consecutive time India and England have faced each other in the T20 World Cup semi-finals. The Indian team lost in 2022, while the Indian team defeated England in 2024. Now the Indian team has once again defeated the English team.

What happened during England's innings?

England had a poor start in the run chase. Phil Salt was dismissed by Hardik Pandya for just 5 runs. Harry Brook was caught by Axar Patel off Jasprit Bumrah for 7 runs. Jos Buttler looked in good form but was dismissed for 25 runs. Buttler was bowled by spinner Varun Chakravarthy. At Buttler's dismissal, England were 64/3. Tom Banton (17 runs) hit two towering sixes off Axar Patel, but the Indian vice-captain immediately dismissed him.

Despite the fall of wickets, Jacob Bethell maintained England's run rate. Bethell scored a half-century in just 19 balls, hitting five sixes and three fours. Bethell and Will Jacks shared a 77-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Arshdeep Singh ended the partnership by dismissing Will Jacks. England's score was 172/5 when Jacks departed. Jacob Bethell struggled from there, but the 18th and 19th overs bowled by Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, respectively, proved to be the turning point. Those two overs yielded a total of 15 runs.

How did Sanju Samson perform?

After losing the toss and electing to bat first, India scored 253 for seven. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings for India. Abhishek seemed to be in good form, but he was dismissed by Will Jacks for 9 runs. Sanju and Ishan then played cautiously and took the score to 67/1 in the powerplay (6 overs). Immediately after the powerplay, Sanju completed his half-century in 26 balls, hitting 7 fours and 3 sixes.

How did Indian batters perform?

India reached 100 runs in 8.3 overs, the second-fastest for any team in a T20 World Cup knockout, after New Zealand's 100 against South Africa in 7.5 overs on Wednesday (March 4). Ishan Kishan (39) looked in good form, but he went for a big shot off Adil Rashid, and Will Jacks took a brilliant catch at long-off.

With Ishan Kishan's dismissal, India's score became 117/2. Sanju then continued the innings with Dubey. Sanju, trying to play an inside-out shot off a flighted delivery from Will Jacks, was caught by Will Jacks. Samson missed out on a century, scoring 89 runs off 42 balls. Sanju Samson's dismissal reduced India to 160/3. Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for 11 runs off Adil Rashid.

Shivam Dube was in excellent form but was run out. He scored 43 runs off 25 balls, hitting four sixes and a four. At the time of Dube's dismissal, India's score was 212/5. India's sixth wicket fell in the form of Tilak Verma, who contributed 21 runs off 7 balls, including three sixes. India's seventh wicket fell in the form of Hardik Pandya, who scored 27 runs.

Did India make changes to Playing XI?

Team India made no changes to their playing XI. In the previous match against New Zealand, England had included Rehan Ahmed as an extra spinner. But in this match, Rehan was dropped and Jamie Overton was included in the playing XI. England has a variety of spin options. These include Adil Rashid (leg spin), Liam Dawson (left-arm spin), and Will Jacks (off spin).

What are India vs England Playing XIs?

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Harry Brook (captain), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.