ICC

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Broadcasting revealed?

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 01:59:04 GMT

While the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule has been officially revealed, a significant issue is looming over the broadcasting rights. In this sudden moment of confusion, there is a shocking progress happens.

Reports: JioStar wants exit from $3 billion ICC deal

The recent media reports have claimed that JioStar is considering an early exit from the ongoing $3 billion media deal with the International Cricket Council (ICC), which will officially end in 2027. Due to significant losses in recent years, JioStar is likely to end the ongoing deal early.

Meanwhile, the other big media houses, like Sony Pictures Networks India, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video, are also reportedly not interested in taking over the ongoing deal due to huge pricing concerns.

This tough news has come while the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is less than two months away from beginning. India and Sri Lanka will host the 20-team ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 and March 8, 2026. It has created much confusion among the cricket fans, who are excited to watch and experience the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Some media reports have further added that JioStar may be forced to continue its ongoing deal if there is no immediate solution for the ICC, regarding the broadcasting deal.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 first look revealed

However, a little bit surprisingly, JioStar has brought the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 first look on Tuesday (December 9), just before the beginning of the five-match T20I series opener between India and South Africa in Cuttack.

Some fans have noticed the upcoming T20 World Cup’s first look, as they have shared it on social media to get clarification. Even, Cricbuzz has also brought a report on this matter.

JioStar says they are in financial loss, but still promoting ICC T20 World Cup 2026 👀

What's going onn....#indvssa1stt20 #ElvishYadav #ElvishArmy pic.twitter.com/yHcqKUSJys
— CricketQuickBuzz (@CricketQuickBuz) December 9, 2025

Rohit Sharma official brand ambassador of ICC World Cup 2026

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:35:13 GMT

Another achievement for former India captain Rohit Sharma. On Tuesday, November 25, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named the brand ambassador for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The next T20I WC is all set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8 next year. From an event in Mumbai, ICC chairman Jay Shah announced the decision to designate Rohit Sharma as the brand ambassador of the elite tournament.

Under Sharma's leadership, Team India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. As a player, the Mumbaikar first tasted victory in the summit clash when MS Dhoni was the skipper of the Men in Blue. In 2007, Dhoni guided India to their first T20 International title. After that, almost after 17 years, the Indian cricket team claimed their second T20 silverware. The first time, Rohit was an emerging player; in 2024, he was the leader of the team.

The announcement by ICC has made Sharma naturally emotional and dragged him into the memory lane. For the ICC title, Sharma and his boys had to toil a lot. He still can remember those days when everyone was trying very hard for years, but success remained distant.

"From the bottom of my heart, I’d like to thank the ICC and Jay Shah. It’s a huge honor to be an ambassador of an ICC event. I was just told that no active player has ever been announced as an ICC ambassador, so this is a big privilege for me and a great honor as well. I’m very thankful and very grateful," Rohit Sharma said, thanking the ICC and Jay Shah.

The ICC announcement makes Rohit Sharma emotional

"Winning an ICC trophy is a huge challenge. I’ve seen that personally over the years—I’ve completed 18 years in international cricket. I’ve been fortunate to win two recently and two early in my career. But in the middle, there was a long drought where we couldn’t win an ICC trophy, and I know how desperate we were as players, as a team, and as management to get our hands on one. To finally come out and win those trophies felt really good. You can see the amount of happiness it brings to the country with the sport we play," he added.

Sharma already retired from the format. So, he will not be part of the team. But he did not forget to wish for the best, hoping for another glorious moment.

India and Pakistan set to be in same group as ICC set to announce scehedule for T20 World Cup 2026

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 19:46:01 GMT

The excitement for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has soared as the group stage lineup is officially confirmed. Co-hosts India and Sri Lanka find themselves in contrasting scenarios, with India receiving a comparatively straightforward group while Sri Lanka are placed in a much tougher challenge early on.

This edition will feature 20 teams, divided into four groups of five, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the Super Eight stage.

T20 World Cup 2026 Groups

Group	Teams	Key Talking Point
Group A	India, Pakistan, Netherlands, Namibia, USA	India–Pakistan rivalry, favourites to progress
Group B	Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Oman	Tough draw for SL with three Test nations
Group C	England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy	Former champions paired, tricky group
Group D	South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, UAE, Canada	Three top contenders, high competition

ALSO SEE: Know updated WTC 2025-27 points table post Australia’s victory in 1st Ashes 2025/26 Test in Perth

High Stakes and Heavyweights Across All Four Groups

India, currently one of the strongest T20I units in world cricket, headline Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan. Associate sides Namibia, Netherlands and the USA have shown rapid improvement in recent tournaments, but India and Pakistan will still back themselves to advance. Their blockbuster meeting is expected to be one of the most-watched games of the tournament.

Sri Lanka, co-hosts and former champions, must battle through a challenging Group B. Australia enter as favourites, while Ireland and Zimbabwe have the reputation of creating major upsets on the world stage. Oman’s steady rise adds even more unpredictability.

Groups C and D carry their own elements of suspense. England and West Indies, both World Cup-winning teams, share Group C with Bangladesh, making it competitive from top to bottom. Group D appears equally fierce with South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan all capable of deep runs in the tournament, while UAE and Canada hope to challenge whenever opportunities arise.

With matches scheduled across major venues in India and Sri Lanka, and the final set for Ahmedabad, unless Pakistan qualify, prompting a shift to Colombo, the stage is set for a thrilling cricket festival. The journey to global T20 glory begins soon, and every group promises battles worth watching.

ICC confirms expansion of Women’s ODI World Cup 2029 to 10 teams

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:38:17 GMT

The International Cricket Council has now officially confirmed that the next Women's ODI World Cup, to take place in 2029, will feature ten teams in what is an important step in the global growth of women's cricket. This decision is after the incredible success of the 2025 edition which witnessed record attendance, record viewership and record interest on a global scale, making it one of the most successful tournaments in the history of Women's Cricket.

The ICC had first announced its intention to expand the women’s game back in 2021 on International Women’s Day, outlining a roadmap to provide more competitive opportunities for emerging nations. Since 2000, only eight teams have featured in the main draw of the Women’s ODI World Cup. The Women's ODI World Cup since 2000 featured only eight teams, while the revised format now accommodates ten nations, thereby opening ways for more teams to participate at the highest level in world cricket.

The forthcoming 2029 Women's ODI World Cup will also comprise more matches than ever, from 31 in its previous edition to 48. The ICC also announced that the Women’s T20 World Cup, which will take place next year, will expand from 10 to 12 teams. This decision continues the ICC’s efforts to strengthen women’s cricket and reach a wider global audience.

"Nearly 300,000 fans watched the event in stadia breaking the record for tournament attendance for any women's Cricket event. The tournament also witnessed viewership growth and new records being set for on-screen audiences across the world with nearly 500 million viewers in India,” the ICC release said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

ICC Introduces New Members and Focuses on Digital Future

The ICC Board has also appointed several new members to the ICC Women’s Cricket Committee. The new members include Ashley De Silva, Mithali Raj, Amol Muzumdar, Ben Sawyer, Charlotte Edwards, and Sala Stella Siale-Vaea. The aim is to bring a wider range of expertise and representation to help guide the continued growth of women’s cricket globally.

In another major decision, the ICC confirmed that it will start a bidding process for an official mobile cricket game. The project has been under discussion for a while and has caused some disagreement with the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA). The new tender process aims to make the development of the game more transparent and organized.

"The ICC Board confirmed its approval to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for Video Gaming Rights, opening the door for leading global partners to collaborate with the ICC in delivering world-class, digital fan experiences," the board said in the statement.

However, this project has led to a dispute between the ICC and the WCA over Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. The WCA claims that using real players in the mobile game without permission would break existing agreements, as it already holds NIL rights for about 600 players. Earlier this year, the ICC ruled that each national board must handle NIL rights directly with its players instead of through the WCA.

While progress has been slow, reports suggest that around half of the ICC’s Full Member nations have reached preliminary agreements. The ICC hopes that this digital initiative will not only boost fan engagement but also open new opportunities for the game’s growth ahead of the 2029 Women’s ODI World Cup.

ICC to set up special panel over BCCI’s Asia Cup 2025 trophy dispute with Mohsin Naqvi: Report

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 13:02:53 GMT

In a key development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has formally raised the question of the Asia Cup 2025 trophy at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meetings in Dubai. According to a report by Cricbuzz, the ICC has offered to step in and help solve the ongoing dispute between the BCCI and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi.

India won the Asia Cup 2025 title by defeating Pakistan in the final on September 28 in Dubai. However, the Indian team has not yet received the trophy. Reports claim that the trophy is still in the custody of Mohsin Naqvi and remains at the ACC headquarters in Dubai. The discussions about the matter took place during the ICC meeting in a calm and respectful manner, with both sides focusing on finding a solution.

During the meeting, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia clearly stated that the trophy rightfully belongs to India and should be handed over immediately. As the issue continues, the ICC is now considering forming a special panel to act as a mediator and settle the disagreement. Many ICC board members have allegedly supported the suggestion, stating this is something that needs to be resolved quickly.

Trophy Controversy Still Unresolved

Despite the ICC’s involvement, the BCCI’s position remains firm. Saikia has made it clear that the BCCI will not accept the trophy directly from Mohsin Naqvi. The controversy started during the post-match presentation ceremony when the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister.

Suryakumar Yadav and other members of Team India declined to step forward and accept the trophy, which was immediately removed from the stage. Now that the ICC has stepped in, cricket fans are hopeful that the matter will eventually be resolved and the Indian team will regain the Asia Cup 2025 trophy they so much deserve.

Jay Shah strengthens ICC–IOC collaboration ahead of cricket’s Olympic return

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 17:32:34 GMT

Jay Shah, chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), met in Lausanne, Switzerland, with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry in order to further develop discussions on the return of cricket to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028.

The discussions stemmed from reaching out to bring cooperation between the ICC and IOC as preparations are advancing for cricket's return to the Summer Games. If cricket takes place in Los Angeles 2028, it would be only the sport's second Olympic appearance, the first being in Paris 1900, when Great Britain defeated France in an exhibition match to earn the Olympic gold medal.

Shah shared on social media about the meeting with Coventry, “It was a pleasure to meet with IOC President Kirsty Coventry to continue our ongoing discussions on the road to LA28 and cricket’s return to the Olympic Games. We reflected on the progress made so far and the substantial role cricket can play in the growth of the Olympic movement”.

Cricket’s Olympic comeback gathers momentum as Jay Shah and Kirsty Coventry discuss LA28 preparations in Switzerland

Shah has been a significant advocate for cricket's inclusion in LA28. Earlier this year, he attended the IOC presidential elections in Greece, where Coventry was elected to be the first woman and African president of the global sporting body. Shah also met former IOC president Thomas Bach in January during the LA28 International Federations seminar, held at the Olympic House in Lausanne, to discuss key areas of collaboration between the two organisations.

ALSO SEE: 'Our thoughts are with you...'- Statement from Phillip Hughes family on the tragic death of 17-year-old cricketer

ICC CHAIRMAN × IOC PRESIDENT..!!!!

- Jay Shah meets Kirsty Coventry and discuss cricket's returns in Olympics. pic.twitter.com/y0YDQfzcm9
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 30, 2025

At LA28, cricket will be played in T20, with six teams each for men and women, and each gender will have 90 athlete quotas, allowing countries to enter squads of 15 players. The women's medal match is scheduled for July 20, 2028, and the men's final for July 29 - all matches will be played at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, a short drive (50km) from downtown Los Angeles.

The inclusion of cricket in the LA28 Olympics will be a historic landmark in driving the game internationally forward into new markets and will, importantly, leverage the Olympic Games for a larger audience to experience cricket.

The Ford Trophy 2025-26: Complete Schedule, Teams, Live Streaming & All You Need to Know

Fri, 24 Oct 2025 21:50:36 GMT

The 2025/26 Ford Trophy marks the 55th edition of New Zealand’s premier 50-over cricket competition. It starts on 25th October and will run until the final on 22nd February, with matches played at various grounds across the country. The tournament gives young and upcoming players a chance to show their talent in front of national selectors. Six teams will take part: Auckland Aces, Northern Districts, Central Stags, Wellington Firebirds, Canterbury, and Otago Volts.

The Ford Trophy 2025-26: Match Details

Category	Details
Series	The Ford Trophy 2025-26
Duration	25 October 2025 – 22 February 2026
Format	32 ODIs

The Ford Trophy 2025-26: Schedule

Date	Match No.	Teams	Venue
Sat, 25 Oct 2025	1	Auckland Aces vs Northern Districts	Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Sat, 25 Oct 2025	2	Central Stags vs Wellington Firebirds	Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Sat, 25 Oct 2025	3	Canterbury vs Otago Volts	Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Thu, 30 Oct 2025	4	Auckland Aces vs Otago Volts	Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Thu, 30 Oct 2025	5	Central Stags vs Northern Districts	Pukekura Park, New Plymouth
Thu, 30 Oct 2025	6	Wellington Firebirds vs Canterbury	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Mon, 3 Nov 2025	7	Otago Volts vs Central Stags	University Oval, Dunedin
Mon, 3 Nov 2025	8	Northern Districts vs Wellington Firebirds	Seddon Park, Hamilton
Mon, 3 Nov 2025	9	Canterbury vs Auckland Aces	Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Sat, 8 Nov 2025	10	Northern Districts vs Canterbury	Seddon Park, Hamilton
Sat, 8 Nov 2025	11	Wellington Firebirds vs Otago Volts	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Sat, 8 Nov 2025	12	Auckland Aces vs Central Stags	Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Wed, 12 Nov 2025	13	Canterbury vs Central Stags	Mainpower Oval, Rangiora
Wed, 12 Nov 2025	14	Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Wed, 12 Nov 2025	15	Northern Districts vs Otago Volts	Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
Wed, 4 Feb 2026	16	Auckland Aces vs Canterbury	Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Wed, 4 Feb 2026	17	Wellington Firebirds vs Central Stags	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Wed, 4 Feb 2026	18	Otago Volts vs Northern Districts	University Oval, Dunedin
Sat, 7 Feb 2026	19	Central Stags vs Auckland Aces	McLean Park, Napier
Sat, 7 Feb 2026	20	Canterbury vs Northern Districts	Mainpower Oval, Rangiora
Sat, 7 Feb 2026	21	Otago Volts vs Wellington Firebirds	University Oval, Dunedin
Tue, 10 Feb 2026	22	Auckland Aces vs Wellington Firebirds	Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland
Tue, 10 Feb 2026	23	Northern Districts vs Central Stags	Seddon Park, Hamilton
Tue, 10 Feb 2026	24	Otago Volts vs Canterbury	Queens Park, Invercargill
Fri, 13 Feb 2026	25	Northern Districts vs Auckland Aces	Cobham Oval, Whangarei
Fri, 13 Feb 2026	26	Central Stags vs Otago Volts	Saxton Oval, Nelson
Fri, 13 Feb 2026	27	Canterbury vs Wellington Firebirds	Hagley Oval, Christchurch
Tue, 17 Feb 2026	28	Central Stags vs Canterbury	Saxton Oval, Nelson
Tue, 17 Feb 2026	29	Wellington Firebirds vs Northern Districts	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Tue, 17 Feb 2026	30	Otago Volts vs Auckland Aces	Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown
Fri, 20 Feb 2026	Eliminator	2nd Placed Team vs 3rd Placed Team	Basin Reserve, Wellington
Sun, 22 Feb 2026	Final	1st Placed Team vs Winner of Eliminator	Basin Reserve, Wellington

The Ford Trophy 2025-26: Full Sqauds

Auckland Aces: Bevon Jacobs, Dale Phillips, Harrish Kannan, Lachlan Stackpole, Mark Chapman, Rohit Gulati, Sean Solia, Siddhesh Dixit, Simon Keene, Cam Fletcher (WK), Adithya Ashok, Angus Olliver, Ben Lister, Jock McKenzie, Jordan Sussex, Matthew Gibson, Samrath Singh.

Northern Districts: Bharat Popli, Henry Cooper, Jeet Raval, Joe Carter, Katene Clarke, Robert O'Donnell, Brett Hampton, Daryl Mitchell, Fergus Lellman, Kristian Clarke, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Pringle, Ben Pomare (WK), Xavier Bell (WK), Joshua Brown, Matthew Fisher, Zak Gibson.

Central Stags: Tom Bruce, Will Young, Brad Schmulian, Doug Bracewell, Joey Field, Josh Clarkson, William Clark, Curtis Heaphy (WK), Dane Cleaver (WK), Ajaz Patel, Angus Schaw, Blair Tickner, Brett Randell, Jayden Lennox, Ray Toole, Toby Findlay.

Wellington Firebirds: Jesse Tashkoff, Muhammad Abbas, Nick Kelly, Oscar Jackson, Sam Mycock, Samuel Morgan, Tim Robinson, Logan van Beek, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Nick Greenwood, Peter Younghusband, Rachin Ravindra, Callum McLachlan (WK), Gareth Severin (WK), Tom Blundell (WK), Amogh Paranjpe, Ben Sears, James Hartshorn, Liam Dudding, Michael Snedden, Yahya Zeb.

Canterbury: Chad Bowes, Jesse Frew, Leo Carter, Matthew Boyle, Rhys Mariu, Cole McConchie, Henry Shipley, Michael Rippon, Angus McKenzie, Cameron Paul, Fraser Sheat, Ish Sodhi, Matt Rowe, Michael Rae, Scott Janett, Sean Davey.

Otago Volts: Jack Boyle, Jacob Cumming, Jamal Todd, Llew Johnson, Thorn Parkes, Troy Johnson, Ben Lockrose, Luke Georgeson, Matthew Bacon, Zac Cumming, Max Chu (WK), Andrew Hazeldine, Danru Ferns, Jake Gibson, Jarrod McKay, Mason Clarke.

ALSO READ: Punjab Kings makes shocking move ahead of IPL 2026, officially announce new coach name

The Ford Trophy 2025-26: Live streaming details

Feature	Details
Live Streaming	New Zealand Cricket YouTube Channel
Channel	NZC YouTube

Rohit Sharma Becomes First Asian to Hit 150 Sixes in SENA Countries

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 11:33:01 GMT

During a recent match between India and Australia, cricket star Rohit Sharma reached a special milestone. He became the first Asian player to hit 150 sixes which is when a batter hits the ball out of the field without it touching the ground in the countries of South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. The achievement was especially nice because he had a slow start in the game and his powerful hits helped get India's momentum going.

The game took place in Adelaide, where Rohit hit a half-century and also became the first Indian player to score 1000 ODI runs against Australia in Australia. His big hitting helped get his team back in the game and showed his experience on the difficult field. He is only the second visiting batsman ever, after Chris Gayle, to reach this 150-six landmark in these countries.

ALSO READ: When was the last time Virat Kohli scored consecutive ducks in top level cricket before AUS vs IND 2025 series?

Twitter reactions after Rohit Sharma becomes the first Asian to hit 150 sixes in SENA countries

🚨 HISTORY BY ROHIT SHARMA 🚨

- Rohit Sharma becomes the first Asian batter to complete 150 sixes in SENA in History. pic.twitter.com/FB1qStX8r9
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 23, 2025

55* sixes in 🇦🇺
48 sixes in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
31 sixes in 🇳🇿
16 sixes in 🇿🇦

Rohit Sharma — rewriting power-hitting records overseas! 🚀

150 sixes in SENA nations — and counting! 💥

The undisputed Hitman of world cricket! 🇮🇳💙#RohitSharma #ODIs #T20Is #Tests #SKC #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/afWHiy4k1B
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 23, 2025

ROHIT SHARMA COMPLETES 150 SIXES IN SENA NATIONS. 🤯🔥pic.twitter.com/9fo9VPq3Uv
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 23, 2025

🚨 ROHIT SHARMA MAKES HISTORY 🚨

Rohit Sharma is the first Asian batter to hit 150 sixes in SENA countries.

A milestone that showcases his incredible power and skill! #RohitSharma #ViratKohli #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/fCOQM7ScAp
— Arshit Yadav (@imArshit) October 23, 2025

🚨 HISTORY BY ROHIT SHARMA 🚨

- Rohit Sharma becomes the first Asian batter to complete 150 sixes in SENA in History. #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/4NBRLNoXvw
— #AUSvIND #INDvAUS (@SonyTen_Cricket) October 23, 2025

🚨 HISTORY BY ROHIT SHARMA 🚨

- Rohit Sharma becomes the first Asian batter to complete 150 sixes in SENA in History. pic.twitter.com/TE6RqVobvX
— Troy 2.0🦁 (@kalyan_331) October 23, 2025

Rohit Sharma Creates History, Achieves Major Milestone in 2nd ODI Against Australia

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:57:24 GMT

Rohit Sharma added another big record to his name in the second ODI against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on October 23. The Indian opener became the first Indian to score over 1000 ODI runs against Australia in Australia.

Rohit Sharma becomes first Indian to score 1000 ODI runs in Australia against Australia

He needed just two runs before the match to reach the mark and crossed it early in his innings. Rohit has scored these runs at an average of over 55, including four hundreds and two fifties in 21 innings. Among Indian batters, Virat Kohli is next with 802 runs, followed by Sachin Tendulkar (740), MS Dhoni (684) and Shikhar Dhawan (517).

In Adelaide, Rohit had a slow start scoring only one run from his first 11 balls and surviving a close run-out chance. He returned to the team after seven months in the first ODI in Perth, where he was out for just eight runs.

Rank	Player	Runs
1	Rohit Sharma	1000+
2	Virat Kohli	802
3	Sachin Tendulkar	740
4	MS Dhoni	684
5	Shikhar Dhawan	517

ALSO READ: AUS vs IND, 2nd ODI: Alex Carey comes in for Josh Philippe, Xavier Bartlett comes in for Nathan Ellis
Rohit is also India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in ODIs, with more than 11,000 runs at an average of over 48. Australia lead the three-match series 1-0 after their seven-wicket win in Perth.

Nepal and Oman qualify for T20 World Cup 2026 after strong Asia-EAP campaign

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 21:35:46 GMT

Nepal and Oman have officially sealed their spots for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, confirming their qualification even before their Super Six meeting in Al Amerat. The two Asian sides became the 18th and 19th teams to book their tickets for the global event, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 6 to March 7, 2026.

Their qualification was confirmed after the UAE defeated Samoa by 77 runs earlier in the day, a result that ensured Nepal and Oman would finish as the top two teams in the Asia-East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifier. Both sides sit level on points, separated only by net run rate, while UAE remain third and will face Japan next in a must-win fixture for the final available spot.

Nepal’s campaign has been driven by their star wristspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has claimed ten wickets in four matches at an impressive average of 9.40 and an economy rate under six. His match-winning spell of 5 for 18 against Qatar was crucial in defending a modest total of 148. Nepal have shown remarkable consistency and composure, winning close contests against UAE and Qatar to remain unbeaten through the group and Super Six stages.

ALSO SEE: Uncapped Indian batter who made 116* off 52 attends Mumbai Indians trial for IPL 2026

Nepal and Oman seal historic qualification for 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka

Oman, on the other hand, continued their fine form from previous ICC events. Led by strong performances from left-arm seamer Jiten Ramanandi, who has taken seven wickets at an economy of 5.90, Oman overcame both Qatar and UAE in tight finishes to seal qualification. The Gulf nation has now qualified for its third T20 World Cup after appearances in 2016 and 2024.

For Nepal, this marks a third qualification as well, following their earlier entries in 2014 and 2024. Both teams made first-round exits in the 2024 edition but will now look to build on that experience heading into 2026.

With one spot still up for grabs, UAE, Japan, and Qatar remain in contention. However, for Nepal and Oman, the focus now shifts to preparing for the main event, where they’ll once again share the world stage with cricket’s biggest names.