The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is the second edition co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with twenty teams playing 55 matches across a Super 12 group stage, Super 8s, semi-finals and a final between February and early March. Star Sports and JioHotstar share the pay rights in India; Doordarshan picks up the free-to-air mandated India-match feed.
Among the marquee ICC events on the 2026 calendar — Champions Trophy in February (Pakistan host), this T20 World Cup, then the Women’s T20 World Cup in June — this is the one with the broadest free legal access in India.
Where to watch in India legally
Television — Star Sports network, plus DD Sports for India matches. Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi and the regional-language channels carry every match. Doordarshan’s DD Sports carries the clean signal for India men’s matches and the knockout rounds (semi-finals and final) under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act — free on terrestrial television and DD Free Dish.
Streaming — JioHotstar. Full tournament including non-India matches. Mobile ad-tier free for Jio subscribers; Premium ₹299/month or ₹999/year; Super ₹499/month for 4K and four-screen.
Free legal coverage — DD Sports. Selected India matches plus knockout rounds, free, on DD Free Dish satellite and terrestrial. The DD Sports app also carries the feed.
Pan-region availability
| Market | Television | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| India | Star Sports + DD Sports (selected) | JioHotstar |
| Pakistan | PTV Sports + A Sports | Tapmad TV / Tamasha |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Cricket | Sky Go / Now TV Sports |
| Australia | Fox Cricket + Channel 7 (selected) | Kayo Sports / 7plus |
| United States | Willow TV | Willow by Cricbuzz |
| South Africa | SuperSport | SuperSport app |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport NZ | Sky Sport Now |
Series schedule
Cricket schedule — legal broadcasters by country
Pan-region rights split. Times and channels confirmed against official broadcaster releases; tour windows may shift — check the rights-holder app for kick-off the day of play.
| Series | Format | Window | Teams | India (legal) | Pakistan (legal) | UK (legal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICC Champions Trophy 2026 | ODI | Feb 2026 | 8 nations (TBC host: Pakistan) | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV | Sky Sports Cricket |
| IPL 2026 | T20 league | Mar–May 2026 | 10 franchises | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed (PEMRA blackout) | Sky Sports Cricket |
| PSL 2026 | T20 league | Apr–May 2026 | 6 franchises | Sony Sports (subject to confirmation) | PTV Sports / Tapmad TV / A Sports | Sky Sports / Willow TV |
| Indian Premier League final & playoffs | T20 knockout | May 2026 | Top-4 IPL | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Not licensed | Sky Sports Cricket |
| England tour of India | Tests + ODIs + T20Is | Jan–Feb 2026 | India vs England | Star Sports + JioHotstar | PTV / Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket / TNT Sports |
| Australia vs India ODI series | ODI | Oct–Nov 2026 (tentative) | India vs Australia | Sony Sports / JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup | Feb–Mar 2026 (India + Sri Lanka hosts) | 20 nations | Star Sports + JioHotstar + DD Sports (selected) | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| BBL 2025/26 finals | T20 league knockout | Feb 2026 | Top-5 BBL | Sony Sports | Sony Sports (selected) | BT Sport / TNT Sports |
| The Hundred 2026 | 100-ball league | Aug 2026 | 8 franchises | Sony Sports (TBC) | TBC | Sky Sports + BBC (selected) |
| CPL 2026 | T20 league | Aug–Sep 2026 | 6 franchises | FanCode / Star Sports | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports / FanCode |
| ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 | T20 World Cup (Women) | Jun 2026 (England host) | 10 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV | Sky Sports + BBC |
| Asia Cup 2026 | T20 / ODI (TBC) | Sep 2026 | 6 nations | Star Sports / JioHotstar | PTV / A Sports | Sky Sports |
| WTC 2025–27 cycle: India tests | Test | Through Jun 2027 | India + opponents | Star Sports + JioHotstar | Ten Sports | Sky Sports Cricket |
| Sri Lanka tour of Australia | ODI + T20I | Feb 2026 | Sri Lanka vs Australia | FanCode | Tapmad TV | Sky Sports (selected) |
| Pakistan vs Bangladesh ODI series | ODI | Apr 2026 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Ten Sports | PTV Sports / A Sports | Sky Sports (selected) |
Smartcric Guide is editorial only — we do not host, embed or link to unauthorised streams. Match access is via the licensed broadcaster apps listed above.
How to watch legally
- In India, decide whether free is enough. If you only want India’s matches plus the knockouts, DD Sports + DD Free Dish (one-time set-top-box cost, no monthly fee) covers it. For the full tournament including non-India group games, you need JioHotstar Premium.
- In Pakistan, PTV Sports plus Tapmad TV is the standard stack. PTV is free-to-air on PTV’s terrestrial signal; Tapmad TV’s monthly subscription adds the streaming layer.
- In the UK, Sky Sports Cricket is the only route. A Now TV Sports day-pass works for one-off knockout matches without committing to a Sky contract.
- In Australia, Channel 7 is expected to carry Australia’s matches and the final free-to-air under a partner deal with Fox Cricket; everything else needs Fox Cricket via Kayo Sports.
Smartcric Guide does not host any T20 World Cup feed. Every link routes to the licensed rights-holder. Copyright complaints: [email protected].