England were dragged into a final-ball thriller by Nepal in their tournament opener, while New Zealand and Sri Lanka began their campaigns with comfortable wins over Afghanistan and Ireland respectively on day two of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Day two of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 saw six teams enter the fray of the tournament with Afghanistan and New Zealand kicking off proceedings in Chennai before England and Nepal locked horns in Mumbai. The day ended with co-hosts Sri Lanka opening their campaign against Ireland in Colombo.
Action got underway in Chennai, where Afghanistan posted a competitive 182/6 after opting to bat. New Zealand's chase wobbled early as Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck twice in as many deliveries in the 2nd over. The Black Caps, however, recovered through a composed stand between Tim Seifert (65 off 42 balls) and Glenn Phillips (42 off 25 balls), getting over the line with five wickets and 13 balls to spare.
In Mumbai, England were pushed deep by Nepal in a dramatic finish. After posting a decent total of 184/7, the Three Lions were forced to defend in the final over as Nepal mounted a spirited charge powered by Dipendra Singh Airee (44 off 29 balls) and Lokesh Bam (39* off 20 balls). However, Sam Curran held his nerve impressively to defend 10 runs off the final over and seal a 4-run victory.
Co-Hosts Sri Lanka began their T20 World Cup journey in the final game of the day at Colombo. Riding on the back of a half-century by Kusal Mendis (56), the Lankan Lions posted a modest total of 163/6. Spinners, Wanindu Hasaranga (3/23) and Matheesha Pathirana (3/23) then took charge as they bowled out Ireland for 143, sealing a 20-run victory.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup Points Table
| Group A | |||||
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | Net Run Rate |
| India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.45 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.24 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -0.24 |
| USA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.45 |
| Namibia | - | - | - | - | - |
| Group B | |||||
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Australia | - | - | - | - | - |
| Oman | - | - | - | - | - |
| Zimbabwe | - | - | - | - | - |
| Group C | |||||
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | Net Run Rate |
| West Indies | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.75 |
| England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 |
| Nepal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -0.2 |
| Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.75 |
| Italy | - | - | - | - | - |
| Group D | |||||
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points | Net Run Rate |
| New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.162 |
| Afghanistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.162 |
| Canada | - | - | - | - | - |
| South Africa | - | - | - | - | - |
| UAE | - | - | - | - | - |
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