New Delhi: Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and pacer Mohammed Siraj starred as India earned a scrappy 29-run win against USA to begin their title defence in the T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday. With the win, India set a new world record for the most consecutive victories in the T20 World Cup.

Asked to bat first, India were left in a spot of bother at 77/6 after a stunning top-order collapse. However, a brilliant knock of an unbeaten 84 from Suryakumar helped the hosts fight back and post a challenging total of 161/9 on the board in 20 overs. Mohammed Siraj’s three-wicket haul then helped India restrict USA to 132/8 in 20 overs to secure their first win in the tournament.

It was India’s ninth straight win in the tournament as they broke South Africa’s record for most consecutive victories in the T20 World Cup. South Africa held the record after bagging eight wins in a row in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024. Their unbeaten run was ended by India in the final as Rohit Sharma & Co. lifted the trophy.

India won the T20 World Cup 2024 title unbeaten, however, their group-stage match against Canada was washed out due to rain. India bagged eight wins in a row in the tournament. They picked up their ninth straight victory in the T20 World Cup after beating USA in their opener of the 2026 edition on Saturday.

9 India (2024-26) *
8 South Africa (2024)
8 Australia (2022-24)
7 India (2012-14)

The 161 defended by India against USA on Saturday is the lowest total defended by any team in a T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India bettered their own record, having defended 162 against Sri Lanka in a T20I at the venue in 2023. Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for India against USA with excellent figures of 3/29 off his 4 overs.