ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Warm-Up Matches: Schedule & How to Watch

Few things reveal a team’s tournament readiness like a warm-up match. For the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, 16 such fixtures are set to take place across India and Sri Lanka from February 2 to 6, giving fans and selectors alike a preview of form and tactics. India’s senior squad will face South Africa in Navi Mumbai, while India A takes on the USA and Namibia — an unusual dual-track approach that signals the host nation’s depth.

Total warm-up matches: 16 · Start date: 2 February 2026 · Venues: India and Sri Lanka · Host nations: India and Sri Lanka

These four categories capture the key dimensions of the warm-up window — from the schedule spread to the broadcast options and India’s split-squad preparation.

The implication for viewers: the broadcast split means no single platform carries all 16 warm-ups, so planning which matches to follow requires checking broadcaster availability by fixture.

How to watch T20 World Cup warm-up matches?

Warm-up matches are not always given the same broadcast treatment as main tournament games, but for the 2026 edition, several options exist across television and digital platforms.

Streaming options

In India, the senior team’s warm-up against South Africa is available on JioHotstar, which also carries selected other warm-up fixtures, according to reports from NDTV Profit. The platform offers both live streaming and on-demand replays for subscribers.

TV channels

The match involving India is broadcast on Star Sports, as confirmed by ThePapare. Viewers in other regions should check local sports networks for coverage details — broadcast rights vary by country and not all warm-ups are televised internationally.

ICC website and app

The ICC’s official digital channels, including ICC.tv, publish match highlights and curated video content from the warm-ups. The ICC’s official highlights page features clips such as “Batting firepower inspires India win,” as documented by ICC Cricket. Live scores and ball-by-ball updates are also available through the LiveScore match center.

What is the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match schedule?

The warm-up window runs from February 2 to February 6, 2026, with matches split across four venues in India and one in Sri Lanka. Here is the confirmed fixture list based on the schedule reported by ThePapare.

Full match list

• 2 February 2026 — India A vs USA (DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai)
• 2 February 2026 — Afghanistan vs Scotland (Bengaluru)
• 2 February 2026 — Canada vs Italy (Chennai)
• 3 February 2026 — Nepal vs UAE (Chennai)
• 4 February 2026 — India vs South Africa (DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai)
• 4 February 2026 — Scotland vs Namibia (Bengaluru)
• 4 February 2026 — Afghanistan vs West Indies (Bengaluru)
• 4 February 2026 — Pakistan vs Ireland (Colombo)
• 6 February 2026 — India A vs Namibia (BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru)

All fixtures listed above are sourced from ThePapare, which published the most complete publicly available schedule.

Venues and timings

Three Indian grounds host the bulk of matches: DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, and M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Colombo in Sri Lanka handles the Pakistan vs Ireland fixture. Exact start times for each match were not uniformly published across all sources, but warm-up T20 fixtures typically begin in the afternoon local time to simulate main-tournament conditions.

The catch: fans planning to attend or stream live should confirm timings with local broadcast listings or the ICC match centre on the day.

How many warm-up matches will India play before the T20 World Cup?

India’s preparation involves two separate tracks — the senior squad and the India A team — each with a distinct schedule.

India’s warm-up opponents

• India (senior squad) plays one warm-up match: against South Africa on 4 February 2026 at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai (ThePapare).
• India A plays two warm-up matches: against the USA on 2 February and against Namibia on 6 February (ThePapare).

Squad rotation strategy

The dual-track approach — fielding both a senior XI and an A side in separate warm-ups — is unusual for a host nation. It suggests the team management wants to test two different combinations simultaneously, maximizing match exposure for fringe players while the first-choice lineup gets its own run-out against a strong South African side.

What are the key squad changes for India’s warm-up matches?

Closer to the tournament, India made at least one notable adjustment to its warm-up personnel.

Siraj replaces Rana

According to reports, Mohammed Siraj was approved as a replacement for an injured player in the warm-up squad. While the exact nature of the injury and the player replaced have been subjects of speculation, the move adds pace-bowling depth to India’s preparation matches. No official BCCI statement with full details has been published at the time of writing.

India A selection

The India A squad selected for warm-up fixtures includes emerging players who are not in the senior World Cup squad, giving them high-stakes exposure against international opposition. This mirrors a strategy used by other host nations to build bench strength ahead of a major tournament.

Why Harmanpreet Kaur handshake issue is separate

Some online discussions have conflated the men’s warm-up matches with a separate incident involving the women’s team captain Harmanpreet Kaur. That handshake controversy is unrelated to the men’s T20 World Cup warm-up schedule and involves a different tournament and set of fixtures.

Which platform is free to watch the T20 World Cup 2026?

Free access to warm-up matches depends heavily on your location and the specific fixture.

Free streaming options

• ICC.tv offers free match highlights and curated video content, but not necessarily full live streams (ICC Cricket).
• JioHotstar requires a subscription in India, though some selected matches may be available on a free-to-air basis via Star Sports.
• In certain markets, local broadcasters may air warm-up matches on free-to-air television — this varies by country and has not been uniformly confirmed for all 16 fixtures.

Geographic restrictions

Streaming rights for warm-up matches are typically bundled with the main tournament rights. That means if a broadcaster has the main T20 World Cup rights in your region, they are likely to carry at least the marquee warm-up fixtures. For fans in regions without a dedicated broadcaster, the ICC’s digital platforms remain the most reliable free option for highlights and live scores.

ICC digital platforms

The LiveScore match center provides ball-by-ball updates for warm-up matches, including completed fixtures like India A vs Namibia. The ICC website itself also publishes live scorecards and short match reports.

The catch: full live video of all 16 warm-ups is unlikely to be available for free globally. Prioritize the ICC website for scores and highlights unless you have a local broadcaster or a JioHotstar subscription.

Steps to Watch Warm-Up Matches Live

1. Check your regional broadcaster — Visit the ICC’s official broadcast partner list or search for “T20 World Cup 2026 broadcaster [your country].” The India match is on Star Sports.
2. Access via JioHotstar (India) — Subscribe to JioHotstar for live streaming of India’s warm-up and selected other fixtures.
3. Use ICC.tv for highlights — Free registration on ICC.tv gives you access to match highlights and video packages, usually posted within hours of the match ending.
4. Set up the LiveScore app — For ball-by-ball updates, the LiveScore match center covers all warm-up fixtures with live commentary.
5. Follow ICC social channels — The ICC posts real-time updates, team sheets, and match clips on its official social media accounts.

Timeline of Warm-Up Matches

“Batting firepower inspires India win” — this headline from the ICC’s own highlights page captures India’s approach in their warm-up matches, where the focus was on aggressive stroke play and quick runs.

ICC Cricket

The warm-up schedule published by ThePapare showed that India A’s fixtures were deliberately spaced — one at the start of the warm-up window and one at the end — maximizing preparation time for emerging players.

ThePapare

NDTV Profit’s coverage noted that selected warm-up matches were streamed on JioHotstar, indicating a staggered digital rollout rather than blanket coverage of all fixtures.

NDTV Profit

The warm-up window is brief — just five days — but it carries outsize weight for teams finalizing their combinations. For India, the senior squad gets one competitive hit-out before the tournament begins. That puts pressure on the team management to use the India A fixtures wisely, testing alternatives in case of injury or poor form. For the ICC and broadcasters, the challenge is making these preparatory matches accessible to a global fan base that increasingly expects free or low-cost digital coverage. The decisions made during these warm-ups — which players get game time, which strategies are tested, and how squads are finalized — will ripple through the main tournament. For fans in India, the equation is straightforward: JioHotstar and Star Sports for the senior team’s game, and ICC’s digital channels for everything else.