Mumbai: Sanju Samson's explosive 42-ball 89, backed by lethal spells from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, powered India to a dramatic seven-run victory over England in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The defending champions advanced to Sunday's final against New Zealand in Ahmedabad, chasing history as the first team to retain the title.
India posted 253/7 after being put in to bat. Samson anchored with crucial stands—97 runs for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan (39 off 18) and 43 for the third with Shivam Dube (43)—blasting boundaries off Jofra Archer (26 runs in two overs), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, and others. His 26-ball fifty was his second straight in the tournament, though he fell short of a ton, caught off Will Jacks. Early loss of Abhishek Sharma (to Jacks) was offset by Kishan and Dube's fireworks, with Tilak Varma (27 off 7) and Hardik (27 off 12) adding late impetus despite a run-out mix-up.
Chasing 254 on a dew-hit pitch, England raced to 68/3 in the powerplay but lost Phil Salt (5), skipper Harry Brook (to Bumrah's 500th international victim, caught by Axar Patel), and Jos Buttler (25 off 17, bowled by Varun Chakravarthy). Jacob Bethell's mesmerizing 105 off 48 (8x4, 7x6) kept them alive—his 19-ball fifty featured sixes off Bumrah, a hat-trick off Chakravarthy, and more. Partnerships with Will Jacks (35 off 20, 77-run stand) and Sam Curran pushed them ahead at milestones, even as wickets tumbled: Tom Banton (17 off 5, bowled by Axar) and others fell swinging.
Needing 45 off three overs, Bumrah's miserly 18th (six runs) and Pandya's 19th (nine runs, one wicket) left 30 off six. Bethell's dismissal on the first ball of the final over sparked Wankhede's eruption. England finished at 246/7.
Brief scores:
India 253/7 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 89, Shivam Dube 43, Ishan Kishan 39; Will Jacks 2-40, Adil Rashid 2-41) beat England 246/7 in 20 overs (Jacob Bethell 105, Will Jacks 35; Hardik Pandya 2-38, Jasprit Bumrah 1-33, Axar Patel 1-35) by seven runs.
India's blend of firepower and death-over nous sets up a blockbuster final—New Zealand faces a formidable challenge.
(Inputs from IANS)