Sanju Samson’s stunning unbeaten innings of 97 in a must-win game against the West Indies took India over the line in their final Super Eights fixture, thus completing the semifinal lineup for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.The holders’ bid to become the only team to successfully defend the title, lift the trophy at home and add a record-breaking third T20 World Cup remains on course, but they face tough challenges from powerful opponents in the knockouts.Recommended Storieslist of 3 itemslist 1 of 3India now sets the terms of global cricketlist 2 of 3As T20 World Cup begins, ousted Bangladesh rues politicisation of cricketlist 3 of 3The Take: Inside India and Pakistan’s explosive cricket rivalryend of listHere’s everything you need to know about the T20 World Cup semifinals :What are the schedules and the venues of the semifinals?New Zealand vs South Africa on Wednesday, 7pm (13:30 GMT) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, IndiaIndia vs England on Thursday, 7pm (13:30 GMT) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, IndiaWhat was New Zealand’s route to the semifinals?Group stage:Defeated Afghanistan by 5 wicketsDefeated the UAE by 10 wicketsLost to South Africa by 7 wicketsDefeated Canada by 7 wicketsSuper Eights:The match against Pakistan abandonedDefeated Sri Lanka by 61 runsLost to England by 4 wicketsWhat was South Africa’s route to the semifinals?Group stage:Defeated Canada by 57 runsDefeated Afghanistan in the second super overDefeated South Africa by 7 wicketsDefeated the UAE by 6 wicketsSuper Eights:Defeated India by 76 runsDefeated the West Indies by 9 wicketsDefeated Zimbabwe by 5 wicketsWhat was India’s route to the semifinals?Group stage:Defeated the USA by 29 runsDefeated Namibia by 93 runsDefeated Pakistan by 61 runsDefeated the Netherlands by 17 runsSuper Eights:Lost to South Africa by 76 runsDefeated Zimbabwe by 72 runsDefeated the West Indies by 5 wicketsWhat was England’s route to the semifinals?Group stage:Defeated Nepal by 4 runsLost to the West Indies by 30 runsDefeated Scotland by 5 wicketsDefeated Italy by 24 runsSuper Eights:Defeated Sri Lanka by 51 runsDefeated Pakistan by 2 wicketsDefeated New Zealand by 4 wicketsWhich teams are favourites to enter the finals?South Africa are on a mission to make up for their lost chance in the previous T20 World Cup final, where they lost by seven runs despite being in control for most of the run chase.In the current edition, the Proteas are the only undefeated team and have won all but one of their matches comprehensively in the previous two phases of the tournament.South Africa are the only team to have two batters in the tournament’s top run-scorers chart and three bowlers in the top wicket-takers.Form and statistics make Aiden Markram’s side the favourites for the final, as well as the title, but will they be able to shake off their usual knockout stage jitters?India have been far from perfect in this tournament but have found ways to climb out of the holes they have often found themselves in – whether with the bat or the ball.Being the ICC’s top-ranked T20 team with the top batter and bowler on their side, the holders will be favourites to retain the title.Playing in front of a partisan cricket-mad home crowd backfired against them in the 50-over World Cup in 2023, so it remains to be seen if they will succumb to the pressure of expectations or thrive under it.How and where can I follow and stream the T20 World Cup semifinals?Al Jazeera Sport will provide comprehensive live coverage for both semifinals. Our build-up will begin at 10:00 GMT on matchday, followed by photo coverage and a text commentary stream.
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