Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: India, Pakistan, and the West Indies won their matches on the opening day of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup on Saturday.
India kicked off their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 title defence with a win over the USA, while Pakistan survived a late scare from the Netherlands to hold on to victory in the tournament opener, and the West Indies secured a comfortable 35-run win over Scotland.
India beat the USA by 29 runs in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match, despite the US restricting them to 161 runs. India recovered from 46/4 at the end of the first six overs, thanks to an attacking half-century by Captain Suryakumar Yadav. He scored 84 runs off 49 balls. Tilak Verma and Ishan Kishan contributed 25 and 20, respectively.
Shadley van Schalkwyk claimed four wickets for the US, while Harmeet Sing took two, and Ali Khan and Mohammad Mohsin secured one each.
In reply, the US was all out for 132 runs for the loss of eight wickets. Sanjay Krishnamurthi and Shubham Ranjane each scored 37 runs for the losing side, while Milind Kumar contributed 34.
Mohammaed Siraj claimed three wickets for India, while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel picked up two, and Varun Chakravarthy had a wicket to his name.
West Indies defeat Scotland by 35 runs
Earlier, the West Indies defeated Scotland by 35 runs at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Batting first, West Indies scored 182 for the loss of five wickets and restricted Scotland to 147 in 18.5 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer (64) struck a half-century for the West Indies, while Brandong King, Sherfance Rutherford, and Rovman Powell contributed 35, 26, and 24, respectively.
Brad Currie picked up two wickets for Scotland, while Safyaan Sharif, Oliver Davidson, and Michael Leask claimed a wicket each.
Captain Richie Berrington scored 42 off 24 balls for Scotland, while Tom Bruse contributed 35, and George Munsey and Brandon McMullen contributed 19, 15, and 14, respectively.
Romario Shepherd picked up five wickets for West Indies, while Jason Holder claimed three, and Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie chipped in with a wicket each.
In Colombo, Pakistan defeated the Netherlands by three wickets with three balls remaining.
Scott Edwards (37), Bas de Leede (30), and Michael Levitt (24) helped the Netherlands post 147 in 19.5 overs.
Salman Mirza claimed three wickets for Pakistan, while Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub picked up two, and Shaheen Shah Afridi took one wicket.
Shabzada Farhan and Faheem Ashraf scored 47 and 29 runs, respectively, as Pakistan overcame a middle-over wobble to start the T20 World Cup campaign with a win. Saim Ayub (24), Babar Azam (15), and Salman Agha (12) also made valuable contributions with the bat.
Aryan Dutt and Paul van Meekeren picked up two wickets for the Netherlands, while Logan van Beek, Kyle Klein, and Roelof van der Merwe contributed a wicket each.
