MUMBAI: Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will renew their blockbuster rivalry in a high-voltage Twenty20 World Cup clash on February 15 in Colombo, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Tuesday while unveiling the tournament draw.
The 20-team showpiece, scheduled from February 7 to March 8, will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with matches split across five Indian and three Sri Lankan venues. The March 8 final is set for Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, but will shift to Colombo if Pakistan qualifies – a contingency reflecting the strained bilateral ties that have prevented cricket between the neighbours on Indian soil since 2016.
Pakistan, placed in Group A alongside New Zealand, Afghanistan and Ireland, will play all its league matches in Sri Lanka due to ongoing political tensions. India, heading Group B with Australia, England and Bangladesh, will contest all games at home.
The top two from each of the five groups advance to the Super Eight stage, followed by semi-finals and the final.
The fixture comes nine months after May’s brief military flare-up that cast a shadow over the Asia Cup, where India refused the trophy from Pakistan’s Interior Minister and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi.
Despite the off-field frost, the ICC expects record global viewership when the two nuclear-armed nations collide in what remains world cricket’s most watched contest.