India national cricket team are expected to stick with their winning combination when they face England cricket team in the second semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 5, 2026. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side booked their place in the last four after a strong batting display against West Indies in their final Super 8 match. With momentum back on their side, the team management is unlikely to make major changes to the playing XI for the knockout clash.

India’s top order could remain unchanged despite concerns over the form of opener Abhishek Sharma. The left-hander, currently the top-ranked T20I batter in the world, has struggled for form during the tournament. He has scored just 80 runs in six innings, including three ducks.  He showed signs of recovery with a half-century against Zimbabwe but failed to build on it, managing only 10 runs against West Indies. His poor returns have raised questions about whether the team management might consider changes at the top of the order.

India have already experimented with their batting lineup in the tournament. Sanju Samson was promoted to open alongside Abhishek, while Ishan Kishan was moved to No. 3 and Tilak Varma shifted down the order.

However, given Abhishek’s performances over the past two years, it appears unlikely that India will drop him for such a crucial match. The 25-year-old had set the record for the highest score by an Indian batter in men’s T20 internationals at the Wankhede Stadium in February 2025 — against England.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav will anchor the middle order alongside Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, while Shivam Dube is likely to provide power-hitting in the lower middle order despite concerns about his bowling economy during the tournament.

Bowling has also been under scrutiny. India conceded 176 against the Netherlands, 184 against Zimbabwe and 195 against the West Indies. Some have suggested that wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav could return to strengthen the attack.However, with Varun Chakaravarthy emerging as India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament and the pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh performing consistently, the team may prefer to stick with the same lineup.

Axar Patel’s all-round ability also adds valuable depth to the batting. As a result, India are expected to go into the semi-final with the same lineup that defeated West Indies.

India’s Probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.

This will be the third consecutive T20 World Cup in which India and England meet in the semi-finals. In their previous meeting in the tournament, India — then led by Rohit Sharma — secured a comprehensive win to advance to the final.