Suryakumar Yadav burns Mohsin Naqvi ahead of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash

Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav took a cheeky dig at archrivals Pakistan after the announcement of the schedule and venues for the T20 World Cup 2026. The middle-order batter said that the Indian side is excited to play against Pakistan after defeating them three times in the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.

India and Pakistan have once again been placed in the same group for the T20 World Cup 2026. As part of the arrangement, Pakistan will play all their group fixtures in Sri Lanka. The two teams will face off in a clash on February 15 in Colombo. Notably, both sides compete at neutral venues during multi-nation events.

India-Pakistan Rivalry Intensifies After Asia Cup Trophy Controversy

India and Pakistan met three times in the 2025 Asia Cup in the UAE. India won all three encounters, including the final. Players from both sides even skipped the traditional handshakes at the toss and after matches.

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The biggest controversy came after the final, when Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates refused to accept the winner’s trophy from ACC president and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. They made the decision due to his anti-India stance.

The Asia Cup trophy remained with Naqvi, and India had still not physically received it even two months later. The BCCI and ACC have continued discussions about completing the official handover, but no agreement has been reached so far.

The unresolved issue has only added more anticipation for the next meeting between the two sides on the global stage.

We Played Them Recently and Had a Good Time - Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav said that the team is looking forward to meeting Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026. Yadav added that the focus had remained strictly on cricket and that the players genuinely enjoy the intensity of India-Pakistan fixtures.

“The group looks good. Quite decent. We’re playing at good venues, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Then you talk about the game on the 15th (vs Pakistan). We played them recently and we had a good time,” said Suryakumar Yadav during the announcement of the T20 World Cup schedule.

"Everything was completely focused on cricket and nothing else as you must have seen. But yeah, I’m sure it will be a good game. The boys are always excited to have an India-Pakistan game. They have a good time when they go on the ground," Suryakumar Yadav added.

India To Begin T20 World Cup Title Defence On February 7 In Mumbai

India will begin their T20 World Cup title defence on February 7 in Mumbai, where they take on the USA in their opening fixture. Their second match against Namibia is scheduled to take place on February 12 in Delhi, before they fly to Colombo for the much-anticipated showdown with Pakistan on February 15.

The group stage concludes with a game against the Netherlands on February 18 in Ahmedabad. All of India’s Group A matches will begin at 7:00 PM IST and will be played across four different cities.

The T20 World Cup will be held across eight venues, five in India and three in Sri Lanka. A total of 55 matches will be played in Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Colombo, and Kandy from February 7 to March 8.

Also read: Aakash Chopra outraged after Shukri Conrad’s ugly ‘grovel’ jibe, urges India to humiliate South Africa