The T20 World Cup 2022 is all set to take center stage with handful of days remaining for the showpiece event that takes place down under in Australia. The tournament will see some of the big names bid to win the title as hosts Australia, England, New Zealand, India, and South Africa along with Pakistan will be looking to add to their trophy cabinet. Ahead of the marquee tournament, here is all you need to know about the T20 World Cup.
Australia 2021 T20 World Cup final
When does it start?
This tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Australia in late 2020, but the global COVID-19 pandemic saw it postponed.
This year's T20 World Cup includes 45 matches, 16 teams, seven grounds and four different time zones across 28 days. Phew.
After such a long wait for this event, which paradoxically is just 12 months since the previous version because of that Covid shuffle, the 2022 event gets underway on Sunday, with the first round starting at Geelong's Kardinia Park.
How does it work?
There are two rounds of the T20 World Cup, with Round 1 running from October 16- 21, before the 'Super 12s' start with Australia's first match on October 22. The Super 12s run until November 6, with the semi-finals on November 9 in Sydney and November 10 in Adelaide before the final at the MCG on the evening of November 13.
Round 1 features eight teams, split into two groups of four, who did not automatically qualify for the Super 12s. Each team in Round 1 will play the other in their group once, before the top two from each group progress to the Super 12s, and the other teams are eliminated. All matches in this round are played either at Geelong's Kardinia Park, or Hobart's Blundstone Arena.
The eight teams who automatically qualified for the Super 12s earned their direct qualification at last November's tournament in the UAE, and will be joined by the four qualifiers from Round 1.
In this stage, each team will play the others in their group once, and the top two teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.
Round 1
Group A: Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, UAE
Group B: Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe
Super 12s
Group 1: Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, A1, B2
Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, B1, A2
India 2021 T20 World Cup
The finals
The semi-finals will be played on November 9 and 10, in Sydney and Adelaide respectively. Should Australia reach the final four, they will play in in the November 9 semi-final in Sydney, regardless of whether they finish first or second in their group.
If Australia don't make the final four, the first semi-final in Sydney will be Group 1 winner v Group 2 runner-up, and Group 2 winner v Group 1 runner-up in Adelaide.
The final will be played at the MCG on Sunday November 13
All matches start at 1:30 PM IST
How can I watch?
All the matches from the T20 World Cup 2022 will be broadcasted Live on Starsports network on their Hindi, English and regional channels.
The matches can also be streamed online on Disney+Hotstar
Schedule
October 22: Australia v New Zealand and England v Afghanistan, from 12:30 PM IST
October 23: India v Pakistan, 1:30 PM IST
October 25: Australia v Group A winner, 4:30 PM IST
October 26: New Zealand v Afghanistan, 1:30 PM IST
October 28: Australia v England, 1:30 PM IST
October 30: India v South Africa, 4:30 PM IST
October 31: Australia v Group B runner-up, 1:30 PM IST
November 1: England v New Zealand, 1:30 PM IST
November 4: Australia v Afghanistan, 1:30 PM IST
November 6: India v Group B winner, 1:30 PM IST
November 9: Semi-final 1, 1:30 PM IST
November 10: Semi-final 2, 1:30 PM IST
November 13: Final, 1:30 PM IST
