T20 World Cup 2026: The thrill of the 2026 T20 World Cup has now reached its final stage. Now the curiosity of cricket fans has reached its peak. In this tournament, four strong teams namely India, South Africa, New Zealand and England have reached the semi-finals. However, along with the match on the field, there is one thing that the fans are afraid of, that is ‘rain’. If the rain comes down to play in the field, how will the result of the final round be? The complete calculation of this has been explained by ICC in its rules.
These high-voltage matches will be held at two historic stadiums in this World Cup. The first semi-final will be played between South Africa and New Zealand on 4 March 2026 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The second semi-final will be played on March 5, 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai where hosts India and England will face each other.
Nature is not under anyone’s control. So ICC has made special provision for Knockout Stage matches. If the match between India and England in Mumbai on March 5 is interrupted by rain and the game has to be stopped, then the ‘reserve day’ rule will be applied first.
The ICC has reserved one extra day each for the semi-final and final. If the match cannot be completed on March 5, it will resume from where it was left off on March 6. While this is a relief for the audience, the real problem comes when the rain doesn’t stop even on the reserve day.
If unfortunately it rains even on the reserve day and the match has to be called off without a ball being bowled, then the game of ball and bat is sidelined and the game of numbers begins. As per ICC rules, in such a situation the team which has topped its group in the ‘Super 8’ round. Such a team directly qualifies for the finals.
According to this rule, if both semi-final matches could not be played due to rain. South Africa and England, who topped their group, will directly enter the finals. This could be a matter of concern for Indian fans. Because the position in the merit list becomes decisive at such times.
In semi-finals matches, 5-5 overs is enough to decide the result. However, according to the new ICC rules, it is mandatory that at least 10 overs each are played in both the innings to decide the result of the semi-final and final of the World Cup. If 10 overs are not played, then the match is treated as a draw only on the basis of reserve day or points table. All in all, just like the players on the field, the eyes of the fans are now skyward. Only if the rain takes a break at the Wankhede on March 5, cricket lovers will get to see a close match between India and England.
