Arya News - Tournament co-hosts India begin the defence of their T20 World Cup title under no illusion about their US opponents.
Who: India vs United States
What: 2026 ICC T20 World Cup
Where: Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India
When: Saturday, February 7, at 7pm (13:30 GMT)
The 2026 edition of the ICC T20 World Cup begins in India and Sri Lanka on Saturday, with holders and favourites India among the main attractions on the opening day.
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The final game of the opening day pits the West Indies against Scotland, the team that replaced Bangladesh following their controversial expulsion from the tournament.
The eyes of the cricketing world will be on India, though, with their remarkable run of form, and whether they will lay down an early marker or whether the US team can provide what would surely be the competition’s greatest upset.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the game.
What have India said before the T20 World Cup opener?
India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted “there will be nerves” when India open their T20 World Cup campaign in front of more than 30,000 fanatical home supporters in Mumbai, but pledged to give them “entertainment”.
Suryakumar is only too aware that India, the top-ranked T20 team in the world, are overwhelming favourites to retain their title.
But he said his team will try to feed off the positive vibes from a billion-plus home supporters and not be crushed by the huge weight of expectation.
“When you’re playing at home, there is always an added pressure. I’m not running away from the fact,” Suryakumar told reporters in advance of India’s final training session on Friday.
“To be honest, there will be nerves, there will be pressure, but if you see the positive side of it, there’ll be a lot of cheer around.
“There’s so many people coming to watch in the stadiums, I’ve told my boys the same thing, 30,000-35,000 people coming and so many watching at home.
“Let’s give them a good time. Let’s give them entertainment.”
What is India’s record in T20 World Cup cricket?
Not only are India the defending champions, following their victory against South Africa at the 2024 edition, but they are also the joint-record winners of the T20 World Cup.
The Indian side won their inaugural event in 2007, beating Pakistan in the final, but that made for a long wait for the second win at the last edition.
England and the West Indies have both also recorded two tournament wins.
(Al Jazeera) What is the US record in T20 World Cup cricket?
The US cricket team made their debut at an ICC World Cup when they co-hosted the 2024 edition with the West Indies.
It led to the greatest cricketing upset of all time, when they beat Pakistan in the group stage with a stunning super over victory.
What have India said about the US?
India know that their opening opponents are a rising force in cricket, and Suryakumar said no team would be taken lightly.
“I don’t see any weak teams in the competition. All 20 teams are very much capable of playing some good cricket,” he said.
“In this format, one or two batters can make a difference. Or it takes one or two bowlers to have a good 24 balls on any given day.
“So we will have to play the same way as we’ve been playing against all the teams.”
What makes India’s T20 form so remarkable?
India’s batters are smashing out the runs in the shortest format, with the side not dropping below 215 in each of their last three matches (two against New Zealand and one against South Africa).
In the fifth and final match of New Zealand’s tour of India, they hit 271-5, before hitting the South Africans for 240-5 in their final warm-up game in advance of the T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar’s side have won seven of their last nine completed T20 matches.
India team news
The captain said there were fitness doubts over fast bowler Harshit Rana, who was injured in a warm-up game on Wednesday.
Rana bowled just one over before leaving the field clutching his knee.
“Harshit Rana has not been ruled out yet; the physios are assessing him, but it does not look good,” said Suryakumar, fearing that the paceman’s World Cup could be over before it starts.
“If we miss him, we will definitely miss him.”
US team news
The US team will be shorn of one of its biggest names, with Aaron Jones suspended due to multiple corruption charges.
The 31-year-old, who was born in Barbados, will miss the entire tournament following the news of five alleged breaches.
India squad
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper)
US squad
Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous (wicketkeeper), Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane
(Al Jazeera)