There is less than a month left for the T20 World Cup 2026 to start. The tournament will start from 7th February, which will be organized in India and Sri Lanka. A total of 20 teams will participate in the tournament, which have been divided into 4 groups of 5 each. 2 teams from each group will qualify for Super-8, the matches between which will decide the semi-finalist teams. Earlier, Wasim Akram had predicted his favorite teams for the top-4, however, he surprised everyone by not including Pakistan in it.

Wasim Akram’s top-4 teams

India and Pakistan are in the same group in the T20 World Cup 2026, the match between the two is scheduled on 15 February. At the international level, the Indian team has been continuously improving in the last several years, while Pakistan’s graph has gone downwards. Although Pakistan always talks only about big things, but Wasim Akram showed them the mirror.

Akram did not include his own country Pakistan in his favorite top-4. While predicting the semi-finalists, he named Australia, New Zealand and South Africa along with India.

India will enter the T20 World Cup as the defending champion. Let us tell you that till now the host of the tournament has never been able to win this trophy, so India has a good chance to break this record. Wasim Akram also included Australia and New Zealand in the semi-finalists, which could not reach the semi-finals in the previous edition. India won its second title by defeating South Africa in the final.

Big reason for not keeping Pakistan

Pakistan’s recent performance in ICC tournaments has been worrying, considering this perhaps Wasim Akram did not give a place to his own country’s team in the Favorite 4. Pakistan was eliminated from the group stage in the T20 World Cup 2024, while America had qualified for the next round along with India. Pakistan team has been seen struggling for quite some time now.

South Africa has announced a 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026. Aiden Markram will be the captain, but two dangerous batsmen in the form of Ryan Rickleton and Tristan Stubbs have not got a place in the squad. Kagiso Rabada, who missed the series against India due to injury, has returned to the South African team for the World Cup.

There are some players in South Africa’s squad who will be playing their first T20 World Cup. Kwena Mafaka, Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brewis, George Linde and Jason Smith will be participating in the World Cup for the first time.

Jason Smith’s name in the squad is surprising, because he has experience of only 5 international matches so far. However, in the playoff match of CSAT20 Challenge, he created a sensation in the cricket world by playing a stormy inning of 68 runs in 19 balls. Let us tell you that till now India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Afghanistan have also announced their respective World Cup squads.

In the 2026 T20 World Cup, South Africa has been placed in Group D along with Afghanistan, New Zealand, Canada and UAE. South Africa will start its World Cup campaign with a match against Canada on 9 February. The T20 World Cup will start from 7 February and the final will be played on 8 March. India and Sri Lanka will be hosting this tournament together.

South Africa’s squad for T20 World Cup: Aiden Markram (captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brewis, Quinton de Kock, Tony De Jorzi, Donovan Ferreira, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Mafaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Jason Smith

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT

The South African Men’s selection panel has announced the 15-player squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, to be held in India and Sri Lanka from 07 February – 08 March.

T20 International (T20I) captain Aiden Markram will lead the side, which… pic.twitter.com/EqZvYPpCga

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 2, 2026

India vs South Africa T20 series is tied at 1-1. Suryakumar Yadav and team had won the first match played in Cuttack. In the second match, the visiting team made a brilliant comeback and won, now the third T20 will be fun and important. This match will be played at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. Know the pitch, weather report, live telecast and streaming details of the match.

India’s biggest weakness in the last two T20s has been the top order. Shubhman Gill was out in the first over both times, Abhishek Sharma also could not play a big innings. Captain Suryakumar Yadav is also struggling, runs are not coming from his bat. Arshdeep Singh’s bowling is also a question, he bowled 9 wides in Chandigarh. Arshdeep had bowled 7 wides in a single over. India gave 22 runs extra in the second T20, India needs to improve in this also.

Dharamshala Stadium Pitch Report

Bounce will be seen on the pitch of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala. Here fast bowlers will get help in the beginning, hence batsmen will have to avoid taking big risks in the beginning. Although this game itself is such that you have to hit big shots from the first over, but still you have to stay here and try to play 2 or 3 overs. As the game progresses, the batsmen will get help. The spinners are not likely to get much help here, so once again Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh can play together.

So far 10 T20 International matches have been held on this ground of Dharamshala, in which the team batting first and the team chasing the target have won 4 matches each, 2 matches have been inconclusive. There is a possibility of dew in Dharamshala, so winning the toss is most important.

How will the weather be in Dharamshala?

There is a forecast of rain in Dharamshala on Sunday. According to the weather report, there is a 10 percent chance of rain, but it may remain cloudy since morning. The weather will be very cold here. The maximum temperature will be 12 and the minimum temperature will be 7 degrees Celsius.

Probable playing 11 of India and South Africa

Indian playing 11 (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Akshar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dubey, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa Playing 11 (Probable): Quinton de Kock, Reza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Dewald Brewis, Donovan Ferreira, David Miller, George Linde, Marco Jansen, Lutho Sipamala, Lungi Ngidi, Otniel Baartman.

Indian squad

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty.

South Africa squad

David Miller, Dewald Brewis, Reza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Enrique Norkhia, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Otniel Bartman.

Timing of India vs South Africa 3rd T20

The third T20 will start on Sunday, December 14 at 7 pm. The toss will take place half an hour earlier at 6:30.

On which channel to watch live cricket match

The live telecast of India vs South Africa 3rd T20 will be on Star Sports Network channel.

On which app to watch live India vs South Africa? Africa 3rd T20?

Live streaming of India vs South Africa 3rd T20 will be on JioHotstar app and website.

In the second T20 played in Mullanpur, South Africa defeated Team India by 51 runs. Batting first, the visiting team had scored 213 runs, in reply the entire Indian team was reduced to 162 runs. In this match, Indian bowlers gave a total of 22 extra runs including 16 wides. This has become the joint second highest number of wide balls played by Team India in a T20 International.

Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to bowl first. Batting first, South Africa scored 213 runs. In this, 22 runs were only extra. Arshdeep Singh bowled 7 wides in a single over, due to which even coach Gambhir looked angry. Of the 22 extra runs, 16 were wide, 1 bye and 5 leg byes.

It is after 7 years in T20 International cricket that Indian bowlers have bowled more than 15 wide balls in a match. Earlier this had happened against West Indies in 2018. Team India’s attempt to bowl the most wide balls in Mullanpur kept falling apart. The highest number of wides was bowled against Sri Lanka in 2009, when Indian bowlers bowled 17 wides.

Most wide balls by India in a T20

• 17 wides vs Sri Lanka, Mohali (2009)
• 16 wides vs West Indies, Chennai (2018)
• 16 wides vs South Africa, Mullanpur (2025)
• 15 wides vs South Africa, Durban (2007)

Arshdeep, Bumrah did not get wickets

Arshdeep Singh gave away 54 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 13.50, he bowled 9 balls wide. 5 sixes were hit in Arshdeep’s overs. Jasprit Bumrah also could not take wickets, he spent 45 runs in 4 overs at an economy of 11.25. 4 sixes were hit in Bumrah’s overs, he gave 1 wide run.

Hardik Pandya also did not get a wicket. He bowled 3 overs, in which he gave 34 runs. Shivam Dubey gave 18 runs in 2 overs. Varun Chakraborty was the most economical bowler for India, taking 2 wickets for 29 runs in 4 overs. Akshar Patel took 1 wicket for 27 runs in 3 overs.

Quinton De Kock has become the batsman to score joint highest 50 plus runs in T20 against India. For the 5th time he played an inning of more than 50 runs against India, apart from him Nicholas Pooran and Jos Buttler have done this. Although De Kock did this in less innings than both of them.

India vs South Africa 2nd T20 is being played at Maharaj Yadvinder Singh PCA Stadium. India won the toss and decided to bowl first. Quinton de Kock along with Reza Hendricks made a partnership of 38 runs for the first wicket, after which he made a partnership of 83 runs for the second wicket with Aiden Markram. Meanwhile, he scored his half-century.

Highest score of 50 plus runs against India in T20

• 5- Nicholas Pooran, West Indies (20th innings)
• 5- Jos Buttler, England (24th innings)
• 5- Quinton de Kock, South Africa (12th innings)

Quinton de Kock played a brilliant inning of 90 runs in the second T20, although he missed his century. De Kock went ahead to take a run after cutting the first ball of the 16th over bowled by Varun Chakraborty, but wicket keeper Jitesh Sharma quickly caught the ball and hit it on the stump. De Kock scored 90 runs in 46 balls with the help of 7 sixes and 5 fours.

India is ahead 1-0

Had registered a spectacular victory in the first T20 played in Cuttack, India. Batting first in that match, India had scored 175 runs. On the basis of excellent bowling, Team India had bundled out the visiting team for 74 runs. India registered a big win by 101 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the 5-match series. The second T20 is being played today.

India’s playing 11

Abhishek Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicket keeper), Varun Chakraborty, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.

South Africa’s playing 11

Quinton de Kock, Reza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (captain), Dewald Brewis, David Miller, Donovan Ferreira, George Linde, Marco Janssen, Lutho Sipamala, Lungi Ngidi, Otniel Baartman.

Jasprit Bumrah is close to a record century in the first T20 against South Africa. This is not a record of century of runs but of century of wickets. He will create history by taking just one wicket, and will become the first bowler for India to have at least 100 wickets in all three formats.

32-year-old Jasprit Bumrah has taken 99 wickets in T20 International. By taking one wicket, he will become the second Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20, before him Arshdeep Singh has reached this figure.

Bumrah will become the first bowler to do so

Arshdeep Singh has 100 wickets in T20, but there is no Indian bowler who has taken at least 100 wickets in all formats. Bumrah is on the verge of becoming the first bowler to do so. Bumrah has taken 234 wickets in 99 innings of 52 Tests. He has 149 wickets in 89 ODI matches.

Jasprit Bumrah has previously played 3 T20 matches against South Africa, in which he has taken 3 wickets. Bumrah’s most T20 wickets are against the Australian team. See in the list against which 2 teams Bumrah has taken the most T20 wickets.

• 20- Australia
• 12- New Zealand

India vs South Africa 1st T20 will be played at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. This match to be held on Tuesday, December 9 will be special, because for the first time the match is going to be played on red clay wicket in Cuttack. The match will start at 7 pm, the toss will play an important role here.

Before the match, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav said about the pitch that I have not seen it yet but hopefully it will be good. He said that the black soil pitch would have been good, but he felt that the red soil pitch would also be good. He said, “The red clay wicket can also be fast, let’s see but if it remains fast then it will be good.”

Barabati Stadium records (T20I)

A total of 3 T20 International matches have previously been held at Barabati Stadium, out of which 2 were between India and South Africa. The bad thing is that South Africa has defeated India in both the matches. Whereas India won the other match against Sri Lanka by 93 runs.

The highest T20 International score on this ground is 180 runs, which was made by India against Sri Lanka. The lowest score is 87, which was scored by Sri Lanka in this match.

Talking about the toss, whoever wins will prefer to bowl first. There may be dew here, so batting may be a little easier in the second innings. Although weather will also be a problem, the chance of rain here is said to be 10 percent.

India vs South Africa 1st T20 pitch report

The red clay pitch may help the fast bowlers, but a high-scoring match is expected. The pitch looks suitable for batting from T20 point of view. Here for the first time a score of 200 can be made in T20. The decision to bowl first after winning the toss may prove to be correct, but if the team batting first scores 200, then the difficulties for the team playing in the second innings will increase.

Indian team

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty.

south african team

David Miller, Reza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brewis, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Enrique Norkhia, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamala, Otniel Bartman.

India vs South Africa 5 match T20 series starts from Tuesday, 9th December. Before this, South Africa won the Test series and India won the ODI series, now it has to be seen who wins in T20. India will be captained by Suryakumar Yadav and the Proteas team will be commanded by Aiden Markram. Here we are giving you information about the head to head record of both the teams in this short format of cricket. Also know who are the top-5 players who scored the most runs and took the most wickets.

India vs South Africa 1st T20 will be played at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. All eyes will be on world number-1 T20 batsman Abhishek Sharma, who is coming off a brilliant performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The main thing in the strategy of the visiting team will be to get Abhishek out early, because even if he plays the entire powerplay, it will be difficult for them.

Jasprit Bumrah is returning to the Indian bowling unit, who was not in the ODI series. Varun Chakraborty will also create problems for the South African batsmen. Shubhman Gill and Hardik Pandya are also returning.

India vs South Africa T20 Head to Head

A total of 31 T20 International matches have been played between India and South Africa so far. India has won 18 matches and South Africa has won 12. The last T20 played between the two in India was won by South Africa, which took place in Indore (October, 2022). Although this was the last match of the series and India won it 2-1.

• Total matches- 31
• India won- 18
• South Africa won- 12
• Inconclusive- 1

Most runs in India vs South Africa T20 (Top-5)

1. David Miller- 524
2. Rohit Sharma- 429
3. Virat Kohli- 394
4. Suryakumar Yadav- 372
5. Quinton de Kock- 351

Most wickets in India vs South Africa T20 (Top-5)

1. Arshdeep Singh- 18
2. Keshav Maharaj- 15
3. Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 14
4. Varun Chakraborty- 12
5. Ravichandran Ashwin- 11

Where to watch live broadcast and streaming

The first T20 between India and South Africa will be played on Tuesday, December 9 at 7 pm. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network and live streaming will be on JioHotstar app and website.

India vs South Africa 1st T20 will be played in Cuttack on Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, captain Suryakumar Yadav came to the press conference, where he praised Sanju Samson and said that he can bat well in any order. However, he described Shubman Gill as deserving for the opening position.

Regarding Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav said, “Yes, when he came, he batted higher. I think everyone should be very flexible except the openers. He (Sanju) did very well when he came to bat higher. But Shubman Gill had played before him. Also in the Sri Lanka series. So he deserves that position (opener).”

Suryakumar Yadav further said, “We also gave opportunities to Sanju Samson. He was ready to play in every position. It is good that a player is flexible to play in every position. So I have told everyone except the openers that you have to be very flexible. So we have both of them in our team, one can open and the other can play in the lower order. Both are capable of playing anywhere.

Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill fit

Suryakumar Yadav said that Hardik Pandya and Shubman Gill look completely fit. Pandya was injured in the Asia Cup, since then he has not played while Gill was injured in the first Test against South Africa. Surya said, “Both Gill and Pandya are looking healthy and fit.”

Surya said, “You also saw in the Asia Cup, when Hardik was bowling with the new ball, he opened up many options and combinations for us in the playing eleven. That’s what he brings to the team. His experience, the way he has performed well in all the big matches, all the ICC, ACC tournaments. I think that experience will be very useful and his presence will definitely give a good balance to the team.”

India’s probable playing 11

Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicket keeper), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakraborty.

South Africa’s tour of India has been quite exciting so far. The Test and ODI series has ended. Team India won the Test guest and ODI series, now it is the turn of T20. This series is going to be very important before the upcoming T20 World Cup, in which India would like to test its preparations and make possible changes in it. Along with the format, timing and squad are also changing, now Kohli-Rohit will not be seen. Know when and where India vs South Africa first T20 will be played. Squad of both the teams and details of live telecast and live streaming of the match.

Rishabh Pant took over the captaincy in the Test after Shubman Gill was injured, although India lost both the matches. In the absence of Gill, KL Rahul was given command in the ODI series. Here the power of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma was seen and India won the series 2-1. Now India is ready for the T20 series under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav. The captaincy of South Africa will be in the hands of Aiden Markram.

On which date will India vs South Africa 1st T20 be held?

The first match of the 5-match T20 series between India and South Africa will be played on Tuesday, 9 December.

At which venue will India vs South Africa 1st T20 be held?

Barabati Stadium Cuttack Odisha.

What time will India vs South Africa 1st T20 start?

The first T20 between India and South Africa will start at 7 pm on Tuesday, December 9. The toss will take place at 6:30.

Indian team

Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Verma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty.

south african team

David Miller, Reza Hendricks, Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brewis, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Quinton de Kock (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Enrique Norkhia, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamala, Otniel Bartman.

Where to watch live India vs South Africa T20 match

India vs South Africa first T20 will be telecast live on Star Sports Network channels. There will be live streaming on JioHotstar app and website.