The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the match officials for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled from 7 February to 8 March. A total of 24 on-field umpires and six match referees will officiate during the group stage, with officials for the Super Eight and knockout rounds to be announced later.
Opening Match: Pakistan vs Netherlands
The tournament will open in Colombo at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground, with Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights serving as on-field umpires.
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Dharmasena, a member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning team, has officiated 37 Men’s T20 World Cup matches, including finals in 2016 and 2022, ranking fourth all-time in matches officiated.
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Wayne Knights will make his first T20 World Cup appearance, marking his 50th T20 International as an umpire.
Other Key Matches and Officials
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Kolkata: Scotland vs West Indies — Nitin Menon & Sam Nogajski
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Mumbai: India vs USA — Paul Reiffel & Rod Tucker
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Australia vs Ireland (11 Feb): Chris Gaffaney & Richard Illingworth
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India vs Pakistan (15 Feb, Colombo): Dharmasena & Illingworth
Rod Tucker, the Australian umpire, will oversee his 50th T20 World Cup match, adding to his record of 46 previous appearances, including matches like England vs Nepal, India vs Namibia, and South Africa vs UAE.
Match Referees for Group Stage
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Dean Cosker, Andrew Pycroft
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David Gilbert, Richie Richardson
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Ranjan Madugalle, Javagal Srinath
Full On-Field Umpires List
Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohel, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Raveendra Wimalasiri, Asif Yaqoob
