ICC keeping T20 World Cup semis plans fluid, three venues in fray, but all depends on Pakistan and Sri Lanka: Report

The ICC has informed all stakeholders of the possibility of a last-minute venue change for the T20 World Cup semi-finals.

Updated on: Feb 24, 2026, 10:13:35 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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There's a chance that Sri Lanka might play the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-finals at home, but it all depends on their qualification and who they play against. According to an ESPNcricinfo report, if Sri Lanka end up making it to the last four from the Super 8s stage, and end up facing anyone else apart from India and Pakistan, who don't qualify for the semi-finals, then the Island Nation's knockout match will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has changed the original schedule and tournament playing conditions, opening the door for a home semi-final for Sri Lanka, which won the tournament in 2014.

The ICC has informed all the stakeholders of the possible last-minute venue change (Sportz Asia)

The ICC has sent an official communication to all stakeholders, outlining the scenarios and the venues for the semi-finals. “Semi-final 1 is a floating arrangement with the match to be held in either Colombo or Kolkata. If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in semi-final 1 in Colombo on 4 March,” the communication stated, according to ESPNCricinfo.

Also Read: India staring at semifinal squeeze after West Indies’ dominant Zimbabwe win - Qualification equation explained

“If Pakistan do not qualify for the semi-finals, but Sri Lanka does qualify and play anyone other than India, then Sri Lanka will play in semi-final 1 in Colombo,” it added.

The ICC has also confirmed that if neither Pakistan nor Sri Lanka qualifies for the semi-finals, semi-final 1 will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, while the second semi-final will be held at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Suryakumar Yadav's India will play the semi-final at Wankhede, irrespective of who they play against, but the scenario will change completely unless they play Pakistan, as in that case, the match will be played at the Premadasa in Colombo.

If none of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka qualifies for the semi-finals, then the team that finishes first in Group 1 of the Super 8s will play the second-placed team from Group 2 in Kolkata, and the Group 2 winner will take on the Group 1 runners-up in Mumbai.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in the same group for the Super 8s, so there is no chance these two teams will meet in the semi-final.

Change to original schedule

The original schedule, announced last year, provided for Pakistan to play their semi-final in Sri Lanka but made no mention of what would happen if Sri Lanka reached that stage.

The ICC release at that time had stated, “If Pakistan qualifies for the semi-finals, Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium will replace Kolkata as the host of Semi-Final 1. Should Pakistan reach the final, that venue will also shift from Ahmedabad to Colombo. If India and Pakistan meet in the semi-finals, that match will be staged in Colombo, while Mumbai will host Semi-Final 2 involving India if they face any team other than Pakistan."

However, the playing conditions do not explicitly specify a scenario whereby Sri Lanka can play a home semi-final.

The two Super 8s groups are as follows:

Group 1: India, Zimbabwe, the West Indies and South Africa

Group 2: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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