T20 World Cup 2026: How India can reach semi-finals
What's the story
India's chances of reaching the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup semi-finals have taken a hit after their 76-run defeat against South Africa at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. The loss not only ended India's winning streak in the tournament but also left them with a Net Run Rate (NRR) of -3.800. Now, India must win both their remaining Super 8 matches and hope for favorable outcomes in other games to qualify for the semis.
Matches
India need to win remaining matches
India were drawn in the Super 8 Group 1 along with South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. While the Proteas heavily defeated India, the Windies and Zimbabwe will clash later tonight. If India lose even one their remaining matches, they will stare at elimination. They need to beat both WI and Zimbabwe by big margins and hope for South Africa to stay unbeaten to give themselves the best chance.
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What if SA lose?
If South Africa lose one of their matches, the defeat will bring either West Indies or Zimbabwe into action. And the two sides are unlikely to have a poorer NRR than India. Notably, the top two teams from each group will reach the semis.
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India's next matches
India, who were unbeaten in the group stage, suffered a 76-run defeat to South Africa in Ahmedabad. They will now face Zimbabwe on February 26 (Chennai) and the Windies in Kolkata (March 1).