India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their third Group A match of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. According to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Meteorology, a low-pressure system is expected to develop over the southeastern Bay of Bengal around February 15. Weather forecasts indicate a 65% chance of rain during the day and heavy cloud cover over Colombo.
During the match hours, with the match starting at 7:00 PM IST, the chance of precipitation remains significant. AccuWeather has indicated probabilities as high as 93% at certain points. While no main draw match has been interrupted so far, the warm-up matches in Colombo were affected. Notably, Pakistan’s warm-up match against Ireland earlier this month was abandoned without a throw due to rain.
Is there a reserve day for the India vs Pakistan match?
Notably, there is no reserve day for group stage matches in the 2026 T20 World Cup. As per the tournament rules, reserve days are only allocated for the semi-finals and the final. Group stage and Super 8 matches must be played on the scheduled day itself. If the weather intervenes, the umpires will attempt to complete the game by reducing the number of overs where necessary.
For a T20I result to be achieved, a minimum of five overs must be completed per team. If this threshold is not met due to persistent rain, the match will be declared abandoned. In such a case, both India and Pakistan will share one point each.
The ICC has built in extra time for knockout matches. Each semi-final will have 210 minutes of extra time (90 minutes on the scheduled day and 120 minutes on the reserve day), while the final will have 120 minutes of extra time on the scheduled and reserve days. But none of these provisions apply to Sunday’s India-Pakistan group match.
An outbreak would also have financial consequences. Broadcasters, sponsors and cricket boards could suffer heavy losses if the match fails to yield results. Ticket refunds can also impact revenue for the host board. Given the global viewership such clashes attract, the commercial implications are significant.
Meanwhile, India are coming off a 93-run win over Namibia, while Pakistan will look to capitalize on familiarity with conditions in Colombo after spending significant time there ahead of the tournament.
Get every cricket update! Follow us:
#reserve #day #India #Pakistan #match