Ayush Badoni will lead the India A squad against the USA and Namibia
Tilak Varma will also feature in the World Cup match against the USA
The matches will streamed live on Jio Hotstar app in India
The World Cup warm-up matches serve as a decent build-up for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Though these matches have lost their charm in the last few years, given the frequency of International Cricket Council events and the hectic international schedule.
However, for associate teams the importance of these matches is still high as they gain a lot from these matches in terms of exposure and match practice before a marquee tournament like the World Cup.
The warm-up fixtures are scheduled from January 2 to 6 across multiple venues in India and Sri Lanka.
While India will play only one warm-up match before the World Cup, India A is set to play two warm-up matches against the USA and Namibia on February 2 and 6. The India and India A matches will be telecast live on the Star Sports app and it will also be streamed live on the Jio Hotstar app.
India A Squad for Warm-Up Matches
The India A side led by Ayush Badoni, will feature players like Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, and Ravi Bishnoi in the squad.
India A: Ayush Badoni (C), Naman Dhir, Ashutosh Sharma, Priyansh Arya, N Jagadeesan (WK), Tilak Varma, Riyan Parag, Manav Suthar, Ashok Sharma, Urvil Patel (WK), Gurjapneet Singh, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Khaleel Ahmed, Mayank Yadav
World Cup Warm-up Matches Schedule
February 3 :
Afghanistan vs Scotland (3 PM) - Colombo
India A vs USA (5 PM) - Navi Mumbai
Canada vs Italy (7PM) - Chennai
Sri Lanka vs Oman (1 PM) - Colombo
Netherlands vs Zimbabwe (3 PM) - Colombo
Nepal vs UAE (5 PM) - Chennai
February 4:
Namibia vs Scotland (1 PM) - Bengaluru
Afghanistan vs West Indies (3 PM) - Colombo
Ireland vs Pakistan (5 PM) - Colombo
India vs South Africa (7 PM) - Navi Mumbai
February 5:
Oman vs Zimbabwe (1 PM) - Colombo
Canada vs Nepal (3 PM) - Chennai
Australia vs Netherlands (5 PM) - Colombo
New Zealand vs USA (7 PM) - Navi Mumbai
February 6:
Italy vs UAE (3 PM) - Chennai
India A vs Namibia (5 PM) - Bengaluru
India's One-Off Warm-Up Fixture
India will play their lone warm-up match against South Africa at the DY Patil Cricket Stadium in Navi Mumbai on February 4, 2026, at 7 PM IST. India recently concluded their five-match series against New Zealand, which they won by a dominating 4-1 score line.
They even went to to register their third-ever highest T20I total in the fifth match in Thiruvananthapuram. Check out the highlights of the match here:
India-Pakistan Row Escalates
Just days before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan dropped a bombshell when they refused to participate in the marquee clash against India on February 15 in Colombo, following their government's diktat.
This decision was not taken well by the ICC, which released a media statement hours after Pakistan decided to boycott the India match. ICC has asked Pakistan to think through their decision and be wary of the possible implications their decision could have on the cricket ecosystem and on the future of cricket in their country.
