India defeated England by 7 runs in a dramatic semifinal of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The defending champions held their nerve in a high-scoring clash to book a place in the final against New Zealand.
Sanju Samson led the charge with a brilliant 89 off just 42 balls as India piled up a massive 253 for 7. The wicketkeeper-batter attacked from the start and punished England’s bowlers throughout the innings.
Samson got a life early in his knock when England dropped a catch, a mistake that proved very costly. He quickly made the most of the opportunity, smashing boundaries and sixes to keep India’s scoring rate high.
Ishan Kishan and Shivam Dube played key supporting roles in the middle overs. Kishan kept the momentum going while Dube added valuable runs to keep the pressure on England’s attack.
Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya then delivered a powerful finish in the final overs. The duo cleared the ropes regularly as India blasted 63 runs in the last four overs to push the total well past 250.
Abhishek Sharma once again failed to make an impact at the top of the order. However, the rest of the batting lineup stepped up and ensured India posted one of the biggest totals of the tournament.
Adil Rashid was the pick of England’s bowlers. The leg-spinner dismissed Kishan and later Suryakumar Yadav, but even he struggled to contain the late onslaught from India’s power hitters.
England’s chase began poorly as Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook all fell inside the Powerplay. The early wickets left England under pressure while chasing a huge target.
Jacob Bethell then produced a stunning counterattack. The young batter smashed 105 off 48 balls and brought England right back into the contest with fearless hitting.
Bethell found strong support from Will Jacks as the pair targeted India’s spinners Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel. For large parts of the chase, England stayed slightly ahead of the required rate.
The turning point came through Jasprit Bumrah’s control in the death overs. His 16th over went for just eight runs, and his 18th over was even tighter, conceding only six runs and slowing England’s momentum.
Hardik Pandya followed it up with a disciplined penultimate over despite Bethell’s century. That left England needing 30 runs from the final over with Shivam Dube given the ball.
Dube held his nerve under pressure and defended the target successfully, sealing a thrilling seven-run victory for India in front of a packed Wankhede crowd.
With this win, India have reached their second consecutive T20 World Cup final. The defending champions will now face New Zealand as they look to retain the title.