The International Cricket Council has announced the match officials for the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to begin on February 7 in India.
A total of 24 officials have been appointed as on-field umpires, while six will serve as match referees during the group phase. Appointments for the Super Eight and knockout rounds will be announced closer to those stages of the tournament.
The tournament opener between Pakistan and the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo will be officiated by Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights as on-field umpires. The fixture will mark Knights’ first appearance at a Men’s T20 World Cup, while Dharmasena continues to add to his extensive experience at the event.
A member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning side, Dharmasena has officiated in 37 Men’s T20 World Cup matches, including the finals in 2016 and 2022, placing him fourth on the all-time list for appearances as an umpire in the tournament. Knights will also reach a personal milestone by standing in his 50th T20 International during the Group A encounter.
On the opening day in Kolkata, Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will oversee the Group C match between Scotland and the West Indies. Menon was part of the on-field umpiring team for the first semi-final of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup between Afghanistan and South Africa, while Nogajski officiated four group matches at the previous edition, including India’s fixture against the USA.
Later on February 7, India’s clash with the USA will be officiated by Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker. Tucker, who tops the list for the most ICC Men’s T20 World Cup appearances with 46 matches, is set to reach his 50th game during the tournament. He will also stand in matches involving England and Nepal, India and Namibia, and South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.
Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth, who worked together during the 2024 final, will reunite for the Group B match between Australia and Ireland on February 11. Illingworth will also officiate alongside Dharmasena in the highly anticipated group-stage encounter between India and Pakistan in Colombo on February 15.
The match referees appointed for the tournament are Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath. The umpires named for the group stage include 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 and Asif Yaqoob.
