Colombo: The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be held on Sunday. As arch-rivals Pakistan and India prepare to clash at the Premadasa Stadium, the stage is set for another high-voltage clash.
However, weather conditions could play a decisive role in the much-anticipated clash, with rain forecast ahead of the scheduled start of the game.
According to the latest updates, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Sri Lanka time) – just before the scheduled toss – the conditions at the venue looked challenging, with persistent rain and high humidity affecting the proceedings.
At 4:00 pm, light rain was recorded at 29°C, although the realfelt temperature was slightly higher at 31°C, indicating chaotic conditions. Cloud cover was 94%, indicating mostly cloudy skies above the ground.
Humidity was recorded at 70%, with a dew point of 23 degrees Celsius, reinforcing the sticky atmosphere. A north-northeasterly wind blowing at 15 kmph with a gust of 26 kmph may help the seam bowlers early on.
Visibility was constant at 10 km, and the cloud ceiling was measured at 1,200 m. Air quality is classified as poor and 0.7mm of rain has already been recorded.
By 5:00 PM, the situation had deteriorated slightly. The temperature dropped to 28°C, a realfeel of 30°C, while the humidity skyrocketed to 79%, making conditions even more oppressive. The intensity of the rain increased, with 2.5 mm per hour.
Visibility was reduced to 6 km, and the cloud ceiling was reduced to 600 m, indicating dense cloud cover over the ground. Winds were steady at 15 km/h, gusting to 26 km/h.
Looking ahead to the 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm match window, it is expected to be cloudy and humid.
Although the temperature will feel close to 29°C due to humidity around 81%, temperatures will settle at 27°C at 7:00 pm and 26°C at 8:00 pm.
A steady north-easterly breeze of 13 kmph is forecast, with gusts reaching 28-30 kmph, which will provide little assistance to sea seamers under the lights. Cloud cover is expected to be 100%, while visibility will improve to 8 kilometers.
A dew point of 23°C indicates significant moisture in the air, and dew may become a factor in the evening, affecting bowlers’ grip and fielding conditions.
Notably, both the teams are unbeaten in their group stage matches. Pakistan registered wins over Netherlands and USA while India defeated USA and Namibia.
Historically, India and Pakistan have faced each other in 16 T20 Internationals, with India winning 13 and Pakistan winning three.
In the history of the T20 World Cup, the two teams have met eight times, with India leading 6-1, while one match ended in a draw.
groups
India: Suryakumar Yadav (catch), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dubey, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ringu Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (catch), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faqar Zaman, Khawaja Nafe, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shatab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Khan.