On January 30, 2026, the ICC announced the selection of a skilled panel of match officials for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. This team includes 24 on-field umpires and six match referees who will oversee the 55 matches across India and Sri Lanka.
Respected officials for the key India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match
This group of officials brings extensive experience, especially for the crucial opening day triple-header. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match on February 15 in Colombo will be officiated by Richard Illingworth and Kumar Dharmasena. Dharmasena, a former World Cup winner for Sri Lanka, has officiated in 37 T20 World Cup matches and has been part of the finals in 2016 and 2022. Illingworth, who was the official for the 2024 final, is expected to handle this major fixture with great professionalism.
Match assignments for the opening day of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026
The tournament will kick off on February 7, marking several important officiating achievements:
- The First Match (Pakistan vs. Netherlands): Dharmasena will partner with Wayne Knights in Colombo. This will be Knights’ debut in the T20 World Cup and his 50th T20 International match as an on-field official.
- Kolkata Match: Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will be officiating the Scotland vs West Indies game. Menon, having officiated the 2024 semi-final, will reach a milestone today, January 31, 2026, as he becomes the first Indian umpire to officiate 150 international matches during the final T20I between India and New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram.
- Mumbai Triple-Header: In the match where India will face the USA later that evening, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker will serve as umpires. Tucker currently holds the record for most T20 World Cup appearances with 46 and will reach 50 matches during the tournament, including key matchups like England vs Nepal and India vs Nambia.
Complete list of T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match officials
Match Referees:
Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, and Javagal Srinath.
On-Field Umpires:
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.
