India advanced to the T20 World Cup 2026 final after a thrilling seven-run victory over England at Wankhede Stadium, posting 253-6 before defending it against Jacob Bethell's explosive unbeaten 105. The match set records with 499 runs and 34 sixes, highlighted by Sanju Samson's 89 and struggles for Varun Chakaravarthy.
The semi-final of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup on March 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai saw India elect to bat first after losing the toss. Openers Abhishek Sharma fell early for 9, but Sanju Samson (89 off 42, eight fours, seven sixes) and Ishan Kishan (39 off 18) built a 97-run partnership. Samson, dropped on 15 by England captain Harry Brook, anchored the innings. Shivam Dube (43 off 25, four sixes), Hardik Pandya (27 off 12), and Tilak Varma (21 off 7) pushed India to 253-6. England's Jofra Archer was expensive (61 runs for 1 wicket), while Will Jacks took 2-40.
England's chase started poorly at 64-3 in the powerplay but revived with Tom Banton (17 off 5), Will Jacks (35 off 20), and Jacob Bethell's masterful 105 off 48 balls (eight fours, seven sixes). Needing 45 off the last three overs, Bethell was run out in the final over by Sanju Samson, as England finished at 246-7. Jasprit Bumrah's economical 1-33 (six runs in the 18th over) and Hardik Pandya's penultimate over proved decisive.
The match shattered records with a 499-run aggregate—the highest in T20 World Cup history—and 34 sixes. Samson earned Player of the Match for the second straight game, crediting Bumrah: "All credit goes to Jasprit Bumrah... once-in-a-generation bowler." Ravi Shastri praised Samson's growth: "He's toughened up mentally... come of age now."
India's Varun Chakaravarthy struggled, conceding 64 runs for 1 wicket, including a hat-trick of sixes from Bethell and more boundaries. Over Super 8s and semis, he leaked 186 runs for four wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin advised on his YouTube show: Avoid bowling round the wicket to left-handers, use better awareness. "Every time he gets attacked upfront, confidence drops. Rely on finer aspects of spin."
England's Harry Brook lauded Bethell: "Absolutely unbelievable... going to earn serious money." Bethell, with limited IPL experience (67 runs in two 2025 games), joins Royal Challengers Bengaluru for IPL 2026. Brook backed coach Brendon McCullum.
India faces New Zealand (powered by Finn Allen's century off 33 balls) in the March 8 final in Ahmedabad, chasing a record third T20 World Cup title.
