India defeated England by seven runs in a dramatic semi-final of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The defending champions held their nerves in a high-scoring match to secure a place in the final against New Zealand.
Sanju Samson led the charge with a brilliant 89 off just 42 balls as India amassed a whopping 253 for 7. The wicketkeeper-batsman attacked from the start and punished the English bowlers throughout the innings.
Samson was given an early life when England dropped a catch, an error that proved very costly. He quickly made the most of the opportunity, smashing boundaries and sixes to keep India’s scoring rate high.
Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube played important supporting roles in the middle overs. Kishan kept the momentum going while Dube added valuable runs to keep the pressure on the England attack.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya then produced a powerful finish in the final overs. The duo cleared the ropes regularly as India scored 63 runs in the last four overs, taking their total well above 250.
Abhishek Sharma once again failed to make an impact at the top of the rankings. However, the rest of the batting line-up was strengthened and helped India post one of the highest totals of the tournament.
Adil Rashid was the favorite of the English bowlers. The leg-spinner dismissed Kishan and later Suryakumar Yadav but even he struggled to contain the late charge from India’s power hitters.
England’s chase started poorly as Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook all fell in the Powerplay. The early wickets left England under pressure as they chased down a huge target.
Jacob Bethell then produced a stunning counter-attack. The young batsman hit 105 off 48 balls and brought England back into the match with fearless batting.
Bethell found strong support from Will Jacks as the pair targeted Indian spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel. England remained slightly ahead of the required pace for large parts of the chase.
The turning point came through Jasprit Bumrah’s control during the death overs. His 16th over lasted just eight runs, and his 18th over was even tighter, conceding just six runs and slowing England’s momentum.
Hardik Pandya followed it up with a disciplined penultimate, despite Bethell’s century. That left England needing 30 runs from the final over, with Shivam Dube getting the ball.
Dube held his nerve and defended the target successfully, sealing a thrilling seven-run win for India in front of a packed Wankhede crowd.
With this win, India has reached their second consecutive T20 World Cup final. The defending champions will now face New Zealand in their bid to retain the title.
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