MUMBAI — India defeated England by seven runs in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, booking a place in the final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad.
In a high-scoring contest, India posted 253 for seven in their 20 overs before restricting England to 246 for seven, despite a century from Jacob Bethell that kept the chase alive until the final over.
Samson leads India’s powerful batting display
After England captain Harry Brook won the toss and elected to field, India made full use of the batting-friendly conditions.
Opening batter Sanju Samson set the tone with an aggressive 89 off 42 balls, striking boundaries regularly and maintaining a rapid scoring rate from the start.
Shivam Dube added 43 from 25 deliveries during the middle overs, while Ishan Kishan contributed a quick 39 off 18 balls to keep the momentum with India.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 11, while Abhishek Sharma added nine before late acceleration from Hardik Pandya, who struck 27 from 12 balls to push India to 253 for seven.
For England, Will Jacks and Adil Rashid claimed two wickets each, while fast bowler Jofra Archer took one wicket but conceded 61 runs in his four overs.
Bethell century keeps England in contention
Chasing a challenging target of 254, England mounted a strong response led by Jacob Bethell, who scored 105 runs from 48 balls in an innings filled with powerful strokes.
Will Jacks contributed 35 from 20 balls, while wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler added 25 from 17 deliveries to support the chase.
In the closing stages, Jofra Archer struck an unbeaten 19 from just four balls, but England ultimately fell short as their innings ended at 246 for seven.
Hardik Pandya was India’s most effective bowler, taking two wickets for 38 runs in four overs. Jasprit Bumrah claimed one wicket for 33 runs, while Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh also took one wicket each.
The result sends India into the T20 World Cup 2026 final against New Zealand, continuing the competitive rivalry between India and England in the tournament. Before this match, the teams had met five times in T20 World Cup history, with India holding a slight edge with three victories to England’s two.
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