The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka) has a **Hybrid Model** agreement (BCCI-PCB-ICC, valid till 2027) under which neutral venues are required for India-Pakistan matches to avoid bilateral travel due to geopolitical tensions. All of Pakistan’s matches, including potential knockout matches, are in Sri Lanka (mainly R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo; some in Kandy/Pallekele).
**Semi-final venues**:
– **Semi-Final 1** (4 March): Scheduled at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, but if it involves Pakistan (eg, India vs Pakistan) then it will be played at R. Will shift to Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
– **Semi-Final 2** (5 March): Scheduled at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
– **Final** (March 8): Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, but will shift to Colombo if Pakistan qualifies.
Thus, India’s semi-final venue depends on Pakistan’s qualification and draw:
– If India qualifies and faces Pakistan (e.g., India tops Super 8 Group 1, Pakistan finishes second in Group 2, or vice versa, thereby introducing diagonal pairings), the match will shift to Colombo.
– If Pakistan fails to qualify or India faces another opponent, it will remain in India (Kolkata for SF1 or Mumbai for SF2, depending on seeding).
This especially applies to knockouts; The same rule was in the India-Pakistan group match (eg, the first in Colombo). This means travel disruptions, different pitches (Colombo spinner-friendly vs Mumbai batting-oriented), less home advantage, and crowd dynamics. The India-Pakistan semi-final will be their first T20 WC knockout match since the 2007 final.
Current Affairs: India (undefeated, firm favourites) begin Super 8 against South Africa (Ahmedabad); Pakistan (after being washed out by rain against NZ) are under pressure for qualification in Group 2 (along with England, SL, NZ). There is no major problem; Some reports say that the first semi-final will be the main shift candidate if the opposing teams meet.
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