T20 WC 2026: IND vs. PAK – The Last & Only Encounter at R. Premadasa Stadium
- Rohit Chatterjee
- 8 hours ago
- 3 minutes read
India and PAK have played only one T20 match in Colombo’s stadium in 2012
This Sunday, the T20 World Cup will host its biggest clash of the tournament, i.e., India versus PAK – a clash that feels even bigger than the tournament’s final. The game will take place in Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, a venue where India and PAK have played several matches against various opponents, but only against each other.
🚨 THE EL CLÁSICO OF CRICKET 🚨
— Bunny Bugs 🍇🎸 (@jabhaikamkar) February 13, 2026
- A massive 88,000 ticket requests were made for the India vs Pakistan match on 15th February.
- The stadium holds only 35,000 spectators, and tickets are completely sold out.
- Flight fares between India and Sri Lanka have skyrocketed, from… pic.twitter.com/7qFhN6j2GM
Ahead of the Sunday clash, let us recall what happened in that one game played 14 years ago.
T20 World Cup 2012
In the 2012 ICC T20 World Cup, India and PAK were part of Group 2, and they played against each other on September 30, 2012.
2012 T20 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka
— SivaPraveenR (@SivaPraveenR) June 9, 2024
India won by 8 wickets against Pakistan
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli
India vs Pakistan #INDvsPAK #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/EvpvyDxxxH
Pakistan took the crease, but the Indian bowling department never allowed their batters to settle. Wickets fell at regular intervals as Lakshmipathy Balaji ran riot by grabbing three scalps, whereas two each were picked by Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuvraj Singh. Even a young Virat Kohli grabbed one wicket, and together, the Indian bowling unit restricted Pakistan to 128 runs in 19.4 overs.
The only credible batting from the PAK camp belonged to Shoaib Malik, who made 28 runs in 22 balls – the rest of the line-up had nothing to offer.
भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम कोलंबो के लिए रवाना हो चुकी है, जहाँ चिर-प्रतिद्वंद्वी पाकिस्तान के साथ महामुकाबला होना है।#INDvsPAK #TeamIndia #T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/c7A6uscckw
— Mera Gurgaon News (@MeraGurgaonNews) February 13, 2026
The Kohli show
The Men in Blue got off to a poor start as India’s present coach and former player Gautam Gambhir went home for a duck on a delivery by Raza Hasan. On the other end, Virender Sehwag was also out of his usual hard-hitting rhythm as he slowly made 29 runs in 24 balls and went back to the dugout.
On this day in 2012 Virat Kohli scored match winning 78 in must win game against Pakistan
— ` (@steynvirat) September 30, 2025
• Scored 61% of team runs
• 2nd highest score from both the sides was 29
As usual saved dhobass from Pakistan @imVkohli 🐐 pic.twitter.com/mMkg2KGf7J
Fortunately, the young Kohli assumed responsibility and demonstrated his exceptional skills at the crease, hitting shots from left, right, and centre. Kohli scored 78 runs off 61 deliveries at a strike rate of 127.86, including eight boundaries and two maximums. Yuvraj Singh also played a minor but crucial cameo of 19 runs in 16 balls.
The Indian outfit chased the target in 17 overs and won the game by eight wickets.
Both at homeX
A stunning view of the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium 🏟️🏏 pic.twitter.com/AOzaSi7zsU
— ICC (@ICC) July 29, 2020
Overall, both teams have a more than decent record in Colombo’s stadium. India has played 15 games at the venue, with 11 victories to its name, whereas Pakistan has played seven games at the stadium, with five wins. In short, despite playing at a neutral venue, both teams will go in with confidence from the previous victories collected at the venue.
