The group allocations for next year’s T20 World Cup have handed India and Sri Lanka two very different opening challenges. While India have been placed in what looks like a relatively uncomplicated pool, co-hosts Sri Lanka find themselves in a far more demanding cluster.According to a Cricbuzz report, India, the No. 1 ranked T20I side, share their five-team group with only one other Test nation, Pakistan (No. 7). The remaining teams are the Netherlands (No. 13), Namibia (No. 15) and the USA (No. 18). With two teams progressing from each group, India and Pakistan are expected to advance without major hurdles, even though the 2024 edition warned against complacency when Pakistan famously slipped against the USA.
Sri Lanka, however, face a completely different landscape. They have been slotted alongside three full-member sides: Australia (No. 2), Zimbabwe (No. 11) and Ireland (No. 12). Oman (No. 20) complete what already looks like one of the tournament’s toughest collections of opponents.Other groups also carry a ‘group of death’ feel. England (No. 3) and the West Indies (No. 6) have been drawn with Bangladesh (No. 9), Nepal (No. 17) and Italy, who sit 28th in the rankings. South Africa, the 2024 runners-up and ranked No. 5, are placed with New Zealand (No. 4) and Afghanistan (No. 10), ensuring a challenging race for the top two spots ahead of relatively easier matchups against the UAE (No. 16) and Canada (No. 18).India’s campaign will start against the USA, followed by matches versus Namibia, Pakistan and the Netherlands. Their high-voltage clash against Pakistan will be held in Colombo. Matches in India will be staged across Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, while Sri Lanka will use two venues in Colombo along with Kandy.Ahmedabad is scheduled to host the final, unless Pakistan qualify for the summit clash. In that scenario, Colombo becomes the alternative venue for both the semi-final and the final. Mumbai and Kolkata are earmarked for the last-four fixtures depending on who advances.These groups will officially be announced by the ICC at an event in Mumbai on November 25. The tournament will follow the same pattern as the 2024 edition, with the top two teams from each pool entering the Super Eight stage, after which the best four sides move to the semi-finals.
