- Pakistan, India played and won two matches in tournament.
- Arch-rivals facing each other since Asia Cup 2025 final.
- Met Dept forecasts cloud cover, with lowering rain prospects.
Cricket’s iconic rivalry, arguably the most popular one, is set to reignite as Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India in a high-voltage T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, today.
Both Pakistan and India have so far played two matches in the tournament, gaining four points each; however, the Indian side currently tops the points table courtesy of their net run rate, with Pakistan in the second spot.
The match will mark the first time both teams will be facing each other since last year’s Asia Cup final, a tense event staged following military conflict between India and Pakistan that nearly escalated into a fully-fledged war between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
The latest meeting comes against the backdrop of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s boycott threat — later reversed — nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.
With bilateral cricket emerging as a casualty of fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the neighbours lock horns in multi-team events at neutral venues.
India’s strained relations with another neighbour, Bangladesh, further tangled the geopolitics around the World Cup.
When Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team field for refusing to tour India over safety concerns, the regional chessboard shifted.
Pakistan decided to boycott the contest against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, jeopardising a lucrative fixture that sits at the intersection of sport, commerce, and geopolitics.
Faced with the prospect of losing millions of dollars in evaporating advertising revenue, the broadcasters panicked.
The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) held hectic behind-the-scenes parleys and eventually brokered a compromise to salvage the tournament’s most sought-after contest.
The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket has sold out the 35,000-capacity R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, with hundreds of millions more expected to watch on television.
Authorities are expected to increase security around the stadium to curb illegal reselling, but experience suggests that controlling the underground ticket trade during a Pakistan-India encounter is no easy task.
Rain to be spoilsport?
With fans eagerly waiting for the much-anticipated fixture, weather forecasts had earlier warned of heavy rain between Sunday afternoon and evening, casting fresh doubts over the match.
However, the prospects of rain affecting the match are decreasing with Sri Lanka’s meteorological department forecasting that a cloud cover will remain over Colombo’s skies.
The possibility of a rain-curtailed encounter has prompted team management to consider a tactical reshuffle, with conditions likely to dictate the final combination.
The Men in Green may bolster their pace arsenal if overcast and damp conditions prevail. Express pacer Naseem Shah and left-arm quick Salman Mirza are firmly in contention for inclusion. Salman, who did not feature against the US, could be drafted in alongside Naseem to exploit any assistance on offer from a moist surface.
While the team management has kept its cards close to the chest, indications are that up to four changes in the playing XI are under consideration.
If Pakistan opt for a pace-heavy attack, at least two spinners could make way, depending on how the pitch shapes up closer to match time. Usman Khan’s place may also come under scrutiny as management weighs experience, form, and tactical balance.
Game’s spirit
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, while addressing a pre-match presser on Saturday, said that he expects the game to be played in the spirit that it has always been played since its inception.
“It has been the norm in cricket for years but whatever way they want, we will only know tomorrow,” he said while speaking on the handshake controversy between the two teams, where the Indian side refused to engage in the customary handshake with the Pakistani players — including at toss between the captains.
India had faced Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, including in the September 28 final in Dubai, but refused to shake hands with their opponents before or after any of the matches — resulting in a controversy and uproar among cricket fans and fraternity.
“This is a very big game, and the magnitude is huge,” said Agha.
“We were always ready for the game, whatever be the decision.”
“We are in good momentum and I hope that being in Colombo since the start will help us in terms of conditions. We have to play good cricket to win the match,” noted the Pakistani skipper.
The winner will be guaranteed of thier berth in the next Super Eights round.
India have a doubt over explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who has been suffering with a stomach biug.
“I hope he plays tomorrow. I hope he’s recovering well,” said Agha. “We want to play against the best, good luck to him.”
What to look out for?
Both teams have opened their World Cup campaigns with back-to-back wins.
For Pakistan, opener Sahibzada Farhan has looked in fine form but Babar Azam’s strike rate continues to polarise opinion.
Captain Agha will bank on spin-bowling all-rounder Saim Ayub, but the potential trump card is off-spinner Usman Tariq, whose slinging, side-arm action has intrigued opponents and fans alike.
Meanwhile, for India, opener Sharma and spinner Varun Chakravarthy currently top the batting and bowling rankings, respectively.
Ishan Kishan has reinvented himself as a top-order linchpin, skipper Suryakumar Yadav has regained form, while Rinku Singh has settled into the finisher’s role in India’s explosive lineup.
Mystery spinner Chakravarthy and the ever-crafty Jasprit Bumrah anchor the spin and pace units, while Hardik Pandya’s all-round spark is pivotal.
