IND vs PAK Prediction Match 27- Who Will Win Today? ICC T20 World Cup 2026

IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026 match will be played in Colombo (RPS) [Source: BCCI, rudemiss18/X.com]

The much-anticipated battle between India and Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to take place at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, on Sunday, February 15, at 7 PM (IST).

Off the field, it has been an interesting build-up to the match after Pakistan initially announced a boycott before retracting from their position a few days ago. On the field, both teams are unbeaten in the tournament, and the winner of this encounter will confirm their qualification for the Super 8 stage of the tournament before playing their final game.

IND vs PAK current form

In the lead-up to this match, Pakistan have won all of their last five matches. They clean-swept Australia 3-0 at home and won the two matches in this tournament. India have only lost one against New Zealand in their 4-1 series win before winning two in this tournament.

IND vs PAK player battles

Abhishek Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi

Having missed the previous fixture, it is reported that Abhishek Sharma will return to the XI on Sunday. He will look to give India an explosive start, as he has in the last couple of years. In three meetings against Shaheen Afridi, he has scored 36 runs in 19 balls, striking at almost 190.

From Pakistan’s point of view, it would be extremely critical for the southpaw to start the innings well against Abhishek before the batter runs away with the match.

Hardik Pandya vs Usman Tariq

Usman Tariq is considered a big middle-overs threat against India due to a unique bowling action and an uncomfortable pause, which unsettles the batters. He has also picked 3/27 in his first match of the competition and boasts a career economy rate of just 5.93.

Hardik Pandya, who will bat in this phase of play, loves to dominate off-spinners and strikes at a rate of 169.7 at an average of 48 against them. Apart from Suryakymar Yadav, it will be interesting to see how Hardik fares against the key cog in the opposition. He also scored a 52 (28) in the last match, showing his great form.

Babar Azam vs Kuldeep Yadav

Considering the spin-friendly conditions at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Kuldeep Yadav is touted to start the match against Pakistan. He has taken 8 T20I wickets in 3 innings against the opposition and 15 in 6 ODIs. Notably, he has also troubled Pakistan number 4, Babar Azam, through the years.

In 4 ODI matches, the batter has only scored 28 runs in 52 balls at a strike rate of 53.8 and has gotten out to him twice. He has a reputation for getting stuck in the middle overs, and it can be exploited by Kuldeep once again in Colombo.

IND vs PAK top performers

Most runs for IND vs PAK (among squad members)

Tilak Varma’s 130 runs in 3 innings against Pakistan are the most scored by any batter from the current squad. He has scored an unbeaten 69 against them, which came in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

Most wickets for IND vs PAK (among squad members)

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has picked 15 wickets against Pakistan in 8 innings played. His best figures read 3/8, and he has an economy rate of 7.96.

Most runs for PAK vs IND (among squad members)

Right-handed opening batter Sahibzada Farhan has played against India on three occasions and has scored 155 runs with two fifties to his name. He has a strike rate of 122.04 against the opposition.

Most wickets for PAK vs IND (among squad members)

From the current Pakistan squad, right-arm quick Naseem Shah is the leading Pakistan wicket-taker with 7 scalps in 4 innings. He has the best figures of 3/21 and an economy rate of 7.25.

IND vs PAK toss prediction

In the ongoing tournament, the Colombo (RPS) surface has not made it easy for the batters to score freely. The big straight boundaries mean the batters are unable to score sixes at will, which makes 175-180 the par score in the contest.

All three matches played here in 2026 have seen teams winning the toss and batting first to win the matches. Hence, it is expected that the toss winner will bat first.

IND vs PAK 1st innings score prediction

Powerplay- 55/2

Final score- 178/8

IND vs PAK 2nd innings score prediction

Powerplay- 48/1

Final score- 175/6

IND vs PAK top players prediction

India top players' prediction

Probable best batters

Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya

Probable best bowlers

Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

Pakistan top players prediction

Probable best batters

Salman Agha, Saim Ayub

Probable best bowlers

Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed

Who will hit the most sixes in IND vs PAK Match 27?

Abhishek Sharma

Who will score the most boundaries in IND vs PAK Match 27?

Salman Agha

IND vs PAK match winner prediction: Who will win Match 27?

India-Pakistan matches in the past few years have turned out to be lop-sided in India’s favour, including the three back-to-back games in the recent Asia Cup. However, this time around, the dynamics and the brand of cricket both teams are playing are different and a close match is expected. Pakistan will fancy their chances, considering that they have been in Colombo for a while.

However, on paper, India still looks like the better side and is very well prepared to take on whatever is thrown at it. Expect an India win in a closely-fought battle between the arch-rivals.