The Indian cricket team beat England in a high-scoring T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final by seven runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
The result sets up India vs New Zealand T20 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
It will be India’s fourth final in 10 editions of the T20 World Cup. They won the trophies at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and the 2024 edition in the USA and the West Indies, while finishing runners-up to Sri Lanka in 2014.
Riding on Sanju Samson’s blazing 89 and a string of rapid cameos from the middle order, India piled up a mammoth 253/7 – the highest score by a team in a T20 World Cup knockout match.
Will Jacks, who went for 10 runs per over, was the most economical of the England cricket team bowlers with figures of 2/40.
England, inspired by Jacob Bethell’s 105 off 48, put up a valiant fight but the two-time champions fell just short, posting 246/7 in their 20 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers, returning with figures of 1/33 from four overs.
After the England opted to field, India’s intent was clear from the outset. Abhishek Sharma struck two early boundaries before falling for nine, but Samson ensured the momentum never dipped.
Samson, dropped by Harry Brook on 15 off Jofra Archer in the third over, took charge of the powerplay, racing to a 26-ball fifty as India surged to 67/1 in the first six overs.
Ishan Kishan joined the charge and the pair stitched together a quickfire 97-run stand for the second wicket. Kishan hammered 39 off just 18 balls before holing out to Adil Rashid.
Samson, meanwhile, continued to dominate the England attack. His 89 off 42 balls, laced with eight fours and seven sixes, equalled the highest score by an Indian batter in a T20 World Cup knockout match, matching Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 89 against the West Indies in the 2016 semi-final.
Finn Allen’s unbeaten century for New Zealand against South Africa in the first semi-final is the highest individual score in a T20 World Cup knockout match.
Samson eventually fell to Will Jacks in the 14th over with India on 160/3.
Shivam Dube then kept the acceleration going with 43 off 25 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 11 off six balls before being stumped off Rashid.
Hardik Pandya (27 from 12), along with Tilak Varma (21 off 7), provided the late flourish, as India crossed the 250 mark.
Chasing a daunting 254, England raced out of the blocks but lost wickets at regular intervals.
Phil Salt fell in the second over as Hardik Pandya struck with his first delivery. England continued to attack despite the early setback but Jasprit Bumrah dealt another blow in the fifth over as Harry Brook mistimed a slower delivery and Axar Patel ran back from point to complete a stunner.
Jos Buttler (25) attempted to counterattack before Varun Chakravarthy halted the momentum, leaving England 64/3 inside the powerplay.
Tom Banton briefly injected fresh momentum into the chase with a blistering 17 from just five balls but Axar Patel ended his cameo by sneaking one through the attempted slog-sweep.
Amid the wickets, Jacob Bethell kept England’s hopes alive.
The left-hander tore into the Indian attack with a flurry of boundaries and sixes, bringing up a 19-ball half-century and continuing to dominate the scoring.
He found an able partner in Will Jacks, who contributed a lively 35 from 20 balls as the pair added 77 runs for the fifth wicket from 39 balls.
Jacks eventually fell in the 14th over after slicing a wide full toss towards the deep, where Axar Patel produced an outstanding relay effort on the boundary to combine with Shivam Dube for a stunning catch.
England were well in the hunt in the last five overs, needing 69 runs with five wickets in hand. However, Bumrah’s two overs went for just 14, helping Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube defend 39 in the last two overs.
This was the third straight semi-final between the two teams in the T20 World Cup. England won the 2022 semi-final by 10 wickets while the Men in Blue clinched the one in 2024 by 68 runs.
IND vs ENG, T20 World Cup 2026, semi-final 2, brief scores: India 253/7 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43; Will Jacks 2/40) beat England 246/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 105; Hardik Pandya 2/38) by seven runs.
READ MORE: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/t20-world-cup-2026-india-vs-england-semi-final-2-match-report
