T20 World Cup 2024 schedule and venues for team India

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 will begin on October 16 and last almost a month before concluding with a grand finale on November 13. The 16-team tournament has been divided into three phases, with the first round seeing lower-ranked sides battle it out for a chance to compete with the big boys in the next round, which has been named Super 12, which as its name suggests, will have a dozen teams.

Only four will advance out of the Super 12 stage and into the semi-finals of the knockout round, from where the format is pretty straightforward. India, as expected, will be one of the biggest draws during the T20 World Cup 2022, with some fans only wanting to follow Rohit Sharma and Co’s journey in the tournament. This article has been penned for such fans as it will put the focus primarily on India’s schedule, the teams it would face, and the venues of its matches.

Vs Pakistan at MCG on Oct 23 – T20 World Cup 2022

India’s Group 2 journey in the T20 World Cup 2022 will begin on October 23 (Sunday). There won’t be any easing in or gentle starts as their very first game will be a clash with arch-rivals Pakistan. The blockbuster match will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which has a capacity to accommodate 100,000 people.

The two teams have never faced each in a T20I at the MCG so this game might add a new dimension to their rivalry. They did play a pair of ODIs but that was way back in 1985 and so it is largely irrelevant to the match at hand, except for the fact that India had won both those matches comfortably. The much more relevant fact would be India’s humiliating defeat to Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup. Thus, revenge, vengeance, and redemption will all be key themes in the buildup to the game. India does have a 6-3 advantage over Pakistan in T20 matches so that could boost their morale.

Vs runners-up of Group 2 at SCG on Oct 27 – T20 World Cup 2022

Following the Pakistan clash, the Men in Blue will have to lock horns with the team that would have finished second in Group A of the previous round. It could be one of Namibia, the Netherlands, UAE, and Sri Lanka. That game will take place on October 27 (Thursday) at Sydney Cricket Ground, which has the capacity to hold just under 50,000 fans. Sri Lanka is likely to win Group A, which means India’s opponents in this fixture here will likely be UAE, Namibia, and the Netherlands. The latter two are more likely on account of having more talent on their books than UAE.

Vs South Africa at Perth Stadium on Oct 30 – T20 World Cup 2022

Next up for Team India will be an encounter against South Africa on October 30 (Sunday). This match of theirs will be played at Perth Stadium, which can accommodate around 60,000 -people. The two teams have faced each other five times in T20 World Cups, with India holding a dominant 4-1 edge. The only time they lost to the Proteas in T20 World was in 2009, and even then they were only narrowly beaten. South Africa has known chokers at big tournaments so the lopsided record in India’s favor is not surprising. When defocused from the T20 World Cup alone, the record gains much more parity and stands 11-8 in India’s favor.

Vs Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval on Nov 2 – T20 World Cup 2022

Like their first three matches of the T20 World Cup 2022, India’s fourth will also be at a different venue. They will take on Asian rivals Bangladesh at Adelaide Oval on November 2 (Wednesday). Adelaide Oval has a capacity of 53,500, which would again ensure that India gets plenty of eyeballs during one of cricket’s biggest spectacles. These sides have clashed twice — 2009 and 2016 — in T20 World Cups, with India triumphing on both occasions. India’s overall T20 record against Bangladesh is also super dominant. In fact, they’ve only ever lost just once to Bangladesh in T20 matches.

Vs winner of Group B at MCG on Nov 6 – T20 World Cup 2022

India will be back at the MCG on November 6 (Sunday). Their opponents for that day are yet unknown as the berth is reserved for whoever wins Group B in the previous round. However, since Group B has former two-time world champions West Indies in it, chances are that they would progress out of that group on top and will get to face India in this fixture. If that happens, it could be a potential headache for India as West Indies is one of those rare teams that have a winning record against India in the T20 World Cups. Of their four matches, West Indies have won three. The only time India managed to win was in 2014. Thus, India would be hoping to have their qualification for the knockout round sealed by this point of the tournament because leaving it late and depending on this fixture could be risky. After all, it is a well-known fact that West Indies on their day can destroy anyone in a T20 fixture.

These are the known first five fixtures of Team India at T20 World Cup 2022. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be more. India is odds-on favorites to progress out of Group 2, and most likely as group winners. If that happens, then a place in the semi-finals would await them, either on November 9 at the SCG or the day after at Adelaide Oval.

If India ends up winning their semi-final clash as well, then they will be rewarded with a place in the winner-takes-all final on November 13 where they would face the winner of the other semi-final.