News Sports Cricket India to play solitary warm-up fixture in lead-up to ICC Men's T20 World Cup | Report

India to play solitary warm-up fixture in lead-up to ICC Men's T20 World Cup | Report

India won the inaugural edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2007 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Since then they have reached the knockout stages of the marquee tournament multiple times but haven't won the tournament.

Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav. Image Source : GETTY IMAGESVirat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.

Team India are likely to play just a solitary warm-up game in the lead-up to their campaign in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. 

As per a report published by Cricbuzz, the exact reason behind contesting in a single warm-up fixture is obscure but the fatigue after a hectic IPL (Indian Premier League) season might well be the cause.

The report suggests that the BCCI is keen to have India's warm-up game scheduled in New York as the Men in Blue will be playing three of their four group-stage fixtures at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. 

Though the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to reveal the warm-up fixtures, England and Pakistan are also looking unlikely to feature in two warm-up matches.

The defending champions are going to host Pakistan in a four-match T20I series that gets underway on May 22 at Headingley in Leeds. The fourth and final fixture of the bilateral contest will be played at the Kennington Oval in London on May 30 which leaves the Three Lions with only four days of rest before their campaign opener against Scotland on June 4 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

On the other hand, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team is slated to play its opening encounter against the co-hosts United States of America (USA). The match will be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. 

The 20-team tournament will get underway on June 1 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas with a clash between the co-hosts USA and Canada.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 Group-stage

Group A

  1. India
  2. Pakistan
  3. USA
  4. Canada
  5. Ireland

Group B

  1. England
  2. Australia
  3. Namibia
  4. Scotland
  5. Oman

Group C

  1. New Zealand
  2. West Indies
  3. Afghanistan 
  4. Uganda
  5. Papua New Guinea

Group D

  1. Bangladesh
  2. Netherlands
  3. Nepal
  4. South Africa
  5. Sri Lanka