India vs Pakistan: T20 World Cup – teams, start time, lineups

India vs Pakistan: T20 World Cup – teams, start time, lineupsThe cricket world and beyond will be watching as one of sport’s greatest rivalry goes ahead despite political turmoil.India and Pakistan's T20 World Cup group stage match will be the first meeting between the sides since the 2025 Asia Cup final [Raghed Waked/Reuters]Published On 14 Feb 2026Who: India vs Pakistan What: ICC 2026 T20 World Cup Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka When: Sunday, February 15 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 9:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.One of the world’s most watched sporting events will take to the screens of viewers all around the globe on Sunday, but only after last-minute talks reversed Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup match against neighbours and rivals, India.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump pardons 5 former NFL players ranging from perjury to drug traffickinglist 2 of 4Real target top spot in La Liga as Sociedad head to Madrid – all to knowlist 3 of 4Ukraine’s Heraskevych has appeal for Winter Olympic reinstatement dismissedlist 4 of 4Africa must boycott the 2026 World Cupend of listFollowing Bangladesh’s expulsion from the tournament for refusing to play their games in India, the Pakistan government stepped in to stop the group stage match from going ahead in a show of solidarity with the Bangladeshi team.After talks with the game’s governing body – the International Cricket Council (ICC) – Bangladesh and tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka, Pakistan reversed their decision.Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the game, now that matters return to the on-field rivalry – although handshakes and gestures will be under the spotlight once more.What happened the last time India played Pakistan?Sunday’s group-stage game is a repeat of the 2025 Asian Cup final, which India won by five wickets.The game, much like the team’s earlier meeting in the tournament, was overshadowed by the lack of handshakes between the sides and India’s refusal to accept the trophy, which was to be presented to them by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was also chair of Pakistan’s cricket board and the country’s interior minister.Why are Pakistan allowed to play in Sri Lanka instead of India, but not Bangladesh?Both India and Pakistan reached an agreement in 2024 that matches between the sides would be played at neutral venues, even if either were hosting a tournament.Bangladesh’s late refusal ahead of its tournament to play matches in India over security concerns was not something that had been agreed to or sanctioned by the ICC.One Pakistan player’s life was changed by an Indian cricketerPakistan’s Usman Tariq left his cricket ambitions back home to start a salesman’s job in Dubai, before a biopic about India great Mahendra Singh Dhoni changed his life.The unusual bowling action of the double-jointed spinner has created plenty of chatter in his first T20 World Cup, and now he goes into Sunday’s revived clash against India as one of Pakistan’s main weapons.His inspiration was born in India, and Tariq admits if he had not watched the 2016 Bollywood movie, M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, he might not be playing cricket today.Based on the life of India’s World Cup-winning captain, the movie told a tale of grit, rejection and eventual glory – and made Tariq believe it was never too late to chase his ambition.“I had left behind thinking of making a name in cricket, but one day I watched this film, and it convinced me that I can also do the same,” Tariq said.Tariq, now 30, left Dubai and roamed around the world to mature as a mystery spinner.Pakistan skipper Salman Agha insisted Tariq will be a special weapon when his side face their archrivals, after being cleared to play following an Islamabad government U-turn that reversed an earlier order to boycott the India match.“Tariq is our X-factor and a key weapon,” Agha said ahead of the tournament after Pakistan had used him sparingly to protect his unique action.Since making his international debut just three months ago, Tariq has taken 11 wickets in four T20 internationals, including a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi.He grabbed a match-defining 3-27 against the USA in Colombo on his World Cup debut this week.Why is Tariq’s bowling action controversial?The 28-year-old’s bizarre bowling action was reported as illegal twice in the last two years, but was cleared by the ICC’s laboratory.His action carries an element of mystery as he pauses exaggeratedly before releasing the ball in a slingshot manner.England’s Tom Banton questioned Tariq’s action in the United Arab Emirates T20 League last year.Australia all-rounder Cameron Green mimicked Tariq’s round-arm during the T20 series before the World Cup in Lahore, raising renewed doubts.But India player Ravichandran Ashwin, himself a great spinner, and umpire Anil Chaudhary declared Tariq’s bowling action to be within the rules.“I believe that it is entirely legal,” Ashwin wrote on X, explaining several factors of the action.Tariq is unperturbed by the doubters.“I have two corners of my bowling arm elbow, which is rare,” Tariq said. “I have been cleared twice, so I am confident that it’s legal.“I have struggled this far and am not worried about such baseless questions.”Tariq’s progress has come in leaps and bounds. He finished with 20 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League last year, forcing his way into the Pakistan team.“My coach informed me about my selection in the Pakistan team while I was busy with my wedding last year, and initially I thought it was a prank,” said Tariq.“But it was true, so I think my wife brought luck for me.”From a salesman in Dubai to Pakistan’s potential trump card against India, Tariq’s script is still being written.Colombo boosted by India and Pakistan tourism windfallPrices of flights ‌and hotel bookings to Colombo, Sri Lanka, have soared as thousands of fans flock to ⁠the city to ⁠watch India play Pakistan.The game at Sri Lanka’s largest stadium is sold out with roughly 35,000 tickets ⁠sold, and ahead of the match, most hotels in Colombo have doubled their prices – the cost of a room has climbed as high as $660 a night from a typical price tag of about $100-$150 per night, multiple booking sites showed.After the match was finalised this week, last-minute bookings led to fuller flights from major cities like ‌Chennai and Delhi, according to three Colombo travel agencies.Flights from Chennai, which is about one and a half hours away, have more than tripled to about $623-$756, while flights from Delhi are up more than 50 percent to roughly $666.Nalin Jayasundera, president of Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) said hotels were booked out. “Most fans are coming on all-inclusive packages that could be $1,500-$2000 or even higher depending on ticket, hotel, and flight prices,” Jayasundera said.(Al Jazeera)Tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner for Sri Lanka, famous ⁠for its ancient temples, pristine beaches and lush tea plantations.It is hoped ⁠that hosting more sporting events could boost Sri Lanka’s economic growth, which is recovering from a severe financial crisis and a recent cyclone, which killed 650 people.Buddhika Hewawasam, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, told the Reuters news agency that in the first ⁠10 days of February, roughly 20 percent of the 100,000 visitors to Sri Lanka were there for the India-Pakistan cricket match.The island nation is hoping to ⁠position itself as a neutral venue for matches between political rivals.“This ⁠is clearly showing confidence in Sri Lanka as a neutral cricket venue. Whether it’s India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, this is a welcome message to all South Asian countries that they can play cricket in Sri Lanka,” he said.Lahore local Mian Sultan is looking ‌forward to his trip to Sri Lanka to watch the game.“I think it’s going to be a great experience,” said Sultan, who spent $800 on a front-row seat to watch the game alongside a friend who ‌is ‌flying in from New Zealand. “I’m really excited about this match.”Sultan added he thought Pakistan “absolutely” could come out on top on Sunday.Ishan Kishan (wk), Sanju Samson/Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit BumrahSaim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Mirza, Salman Ali Agha (c), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah Pacer, Abrar Ahmed