India vs England: Three things to watch out for in second semi-final at Wankhede

India and England are set to lock horns for the third time in the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup, with their mega showdown set to take place at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. England had chased down a target of 169 in just 16 overs with all 10 wickets intact in 2022. India returned the favour two years later with a 68-run victory while defending a score of 171. The winner of the India-England semi-final would, on both occasions, go on to win the tournament.

Ahead of the second semi-final of the 2026 T20 World Cup , with the winner set to face New Zealand in the final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, we take a look at three things to watch out for in the upcoming clash:

Key areas of concern

England face a dilemma with regards to Jos Buttler heading into the knockouts, with the former captain enduring a horrid run in the ongoing tournament collecting just 62 runs in seven outings at an average of 8.85 and a strike rate of 106.89. He had registered scores of 26 and 21 against Nepal and West Indies respectively and has been dismissed for a single-digit score in every innings since – including a two-ball duck against New Zealand in Colombo on Friday.

India have had a similar issue with Abhishek Sharma in this tournament, with the southpaw having entered the tournament as the world’s No 1 T20I batter only to manage just 15 runs in his first four outings including a hat-trick of ducks in the group stage. He did briefly return to form with a 30-ball 55 against Zimbabwe in Chennai – his maiden T20 World Cup half-century – the manner in which he struggled against West Indies in the virtual quarter-final, scoring just 10 off 11, suggested that he was not out of the woods just yet.

It remains to be seen if the two teams take some tough calls at the top of the order – bringing Ben Duckett in place of Buttler and benching Abhishek to bring Rinku Singh or Washington Sundar back in the middle order. Looks unlikely for now, especially with regards to Abhishek, but one can’t say so with absolute certainy.

High-scoring contest on the cards?

The Wankhede Stadium is known for being a high-scoring venue, which was indeed the case in the Super 8s in which West Indies posted a humongous 254/6 against Zimbabwe. The venue, however, has been something of a mixed bag in the tournament. India, after all, had been reduced to 77/6 against USA before a Suryakumar Yadav special carried them to a competitive score of 161 that was easily defended.

There is however, a tinge of grass on the wicket that will be used for the upcoming clash, and it’s the same surface where West Indies had posted 196 in their 30-run victory over England. And India bowling coach Morne Morkel , for once, expects a high-scoring contest, possibly one where 200 would be the par score.

Players to keep an eye on

There is little doubt over who has made the most impact in England’s campaign. All-rounder Will Jacks has been delivering crucial performances with bat as well as with ball in this tournament and has won four Player of the Match awards in seven outings – including in the thrilling four-wicket victory over the Black Caps at the Premadasa.

It’s not as straightforward when it comes to picking a player with the most impact from the Indian camp. The Men in Blue, after all, haven’t really clicked as a collective unit in this tournament and have largely relied on individual brilliance for their victories. However, if one had to pick one player from the lot in this context, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson would get the first nod.

Samson’s introduction in the XI not only has solved the left-heavy top-order that rival teams were happily exploiting with off-spinners, the fact that he is tonking the ball from the word go has made up for Abhishek’s scratchiness in the powerplay. It is no accident that India’s best starts in this tournament have come whenever Samson was included in the XI, and England will likely be making special plans to try and stop him.