Change in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule; SKY and Co set to face 'this' team

India cricket team - (Source: AFP)

In a significant development, India are all set to face South Africa for a warm-up game on February 4 ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. Notably, DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai will host the match, which will also be India’s sole warm-up match before the T20 World Cup 2026.

At present, Suryakumar Yadav and co are busy in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The two teams will lock horns for the fifth and final T20I on January 31 in Kerala. After a break of a couple of days, the entire square will reassemble in Mumbai on February 3, where they will have a training session and play the Proteas for the warm-up fixture on February 4 as reported by Cricbuzz.

India’s warm-up fixture is a repeat of the T20 World Cup 2024 final

India are eyeing history as no team has ever defended their title. India lifted the title for the 2nd time in July 2024 when the Men in Blue beat South Africa in the Caribbean. Now the warm-up fixture is a repeat of the final, and in the past two years, the two teams have dominated the most, which is why India want to test their players against the very best.

For the unversed, before the New Zealand T20Is, South Africa had visited India, and the SKY-led side played five T20Is and clinched the series 3-1 after one game got abandoned due to rain. It was a challenging series for the Men in Blue, as the fans had to wait till the last game of the series to see India lift the trophy.

Further, the 2024 T20 World Cup final was no cake-walk, and India had to pull a win out of the jaws of defeat to win their 2nd title.

India to start T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7

India have ample amount of practice before T20 World Cup 2026, and right after the Warm-up match on February 4, the Men in Blue will kickstart their campaign on February 7 against the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

After USA, India will shift focus to Delhi, where they play Namibia on February 12. The Men in Blue's toughest battle will follow on February 25 where they travel to Sri Lanka for a match against Pakistan. 

However, the Indo-Pak Clash is under the scanner because PCB has not confirmed Pakistan's participation for T20 World Cup 2026. After Bangladesh's exit, the pressure is on Mohsin Naqvi to take a decision to stand with their Asian counterpart or send the team to Sri Lanka for the campaign that starts from February 7.

In case, Pakistan pull out of the tournament, Uganda will replace them and lock horns against India on February 15. Notably, India's last group-stage game will take place on February 18 against The Netherlands in Ahmedabad.