New Delhi. Sri Lanka can play the semi-finals of the 2026 T20 World Cup at home in Colombo, but it will depend on which teams qualify and with whom they are drawn. According to ESPNcricinfo, the information given by ICC to the stakeholders after the line-up of Super Eight was decided. According to him, the venue of semi-final 1 is not fixed. It has been described as a ‘floating’ fixture, which could be in Colombo or Kolkata.
According to the ICC, “Semifinal 1 is a floating arrangement in which the match can be played in Colombo or Kolkata. If Pakistan qualifies in the semi-finals, it will play Semifinal 1 in Colombo on March 4. If Pakistan does not qualify, but Sri Lanka qualifies and does not face India, then Sri Lanka will play Semifinal 1 in Colombo.”
Simply put, if Pakistan reaches the semi-finals, they will play in Colombo. If Pakistan does not qualify, but Sri Lanka qualifies and does not face India, then Sri Lanka will play Semi-Final 1 in Colombo. If neither Pakistan nor Sri Lanka qualify, Semi-Final 1 will be held in Kolkata and Semi-Final 2 will be held in Mumbai.
Why there may be a change in the venue of the semi-finals
This complication is because as per ICC’s arrangement with BCCI and PCB, Pakistan cannot play any match in India. For Sri Lanka, holding their semi-final in Colombo is perhaps more about giving their home crowd the advantage of being co-organisers and the opportunity to watch their team in the capital. India’s semi-final venue is also partially decided. If India qualifies, it will play in Mumbai, no matter who the opponent is, but if it faces Pakistan, the match will be shifted to Colombo.
Why will the match be held in Kolkata instead of Sri Lanka?
If neither India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka reach the semi-finals, then the top team of Group 1 of Super Eight will face the second-placed team of Group 2 in Kolkata, while the winner of Group 2 will play the runner-up of Group 1 in Mumbai, as was already decided. Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Group 2 of the Super Eight, which means they cannot face each other in the semi-finals. The top team of Group 1 will face the second team of Group 2 in one semi-final and vice versa in the other semi-final.
This information is a change in the schedule announced in November. At that time it was only told that if Pakistan qualifies, Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium will be the venue of Semi-Final 1, instead of Kolkata. The interesting thing is that as per the old plan, if Pakistan reaches the final, then the final will be held in Colombo. But it has not been mentioned in the new plan that if Sri Lanka reaches the final, will it also play on its home ground.