The last semifinal spot at the T20 World Cup 2026 will be up for the taking when India contest West Indies on Sunday, and the equation could not be simpler – whoever wins will take the ultimate berth in the semi-finals.
No team has ever retained the T20 World Cup, and no side has ever won the trophy on home soil. So India, the defending champions and tournament co-hosts, have the odds stacked against them but writing them off in their own backyard would be a fool’s errand.
West Indies, meanwhile, had been gathering steam until they ran into the high-flying South Africa in their last Super Eights match. The city of Kolkata experienced rains last week, but the coast should be clear come the weekend.
“We want to play the fearless cricket, the brand of cricket we played against Zimbabwe and we played since last year,” batter Tilak Varma said before the do-or-die meeting with West Indies. “The same intent we want to keep in the next game as well. And going ahead in the tournament, we take the same intensity forward.”
