India vs England, semi-final LIVE: Sanju's fireworks take India to 67/1 at the end of powerplay
Sanju Samson's explosive unbeaten 41 off 20 balls propelled India to a strong start against England in the T20 World Cup 2026 semi-final at Wankhede Stadium.
Sanju Samson's unbeaten 41 off 20 balls took India to 67/1 in the powerplay. Image | BCCI on X
Last Updated: 07.43 PM, Mar 05, 2026
Sanju Samson's unbeaten 41 off 20 balls gave India a solid start at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as the defending champions took on England in the second semi-final on Wednesday. England captain Harry Brook won the toss and asked India to bat first. India took advantage of a solid batting pitch and scored 67/1 in the first powerplay.
England brought in one change
England, the two-time champions, brought in one change to their playing XI after winning the toss. To lengthen their batting order and strengthen their seam bowling lineup, they brought in Jamie Overton, replacing leg spinner Rehan Ahmed.
In the meantime, India continued with their same XI that took on West Indies in Kolkata in the final match of Super 8.
Sanju gave India a solid start
Sanju Samson, who was coming into this game with brimming confidence after a match-winning 97 against West Indies in Kolkata, started the semi-final on a flashy note as he hit a 6 and a 4 against Jofra Archer in the opening over.
Although India lost Abhishek Sharma in the second over to Will Jacks, India continued their attacking mode in the powerplay. Sanju was joined by Ishan Kishan at No. 3, who also started on a great note by hitting some early boundaries.
Sanju was dropped by Harry Brook off Jofra Archer when the Indian batter was just on 15. The right-handed batter then took advantage of the given life and kept finding boundaries against both pace and spin.
Most importantly, he chose to be cautious against good balls and go for anything which was full or short.
Read also: Arjun Tendulkar weds Saaniya Chandhok: Here is the full list of celebrity guests at the wedding.
Playing XIs
India XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
England XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid.
How to watch the India vs England, T20 World Cup 2026 match?
Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs England, T20 World Cup 2026 match on JioHotstar, accessible via OTTplay Premium.