In a major strategic disclosure on January 30, 2026, international chamber of commerce Highly qualified team of match officials to oversee the opening stages of the competition confirmed 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup. A total of 24 on-field referees and 6 match referees were selected to manage the entire 55 matches India and Sri Lanka.

Legendary match official selected to referee key matches of India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026

This group stage team has a wealth of experience, and experienced officials are assigned to the most critical “triple match” opening day and the most explosive confrontation in the event. ICC has officially revealed that high stakes india vs Pakistan conflict The match on February 15 in Colombo will be hosted by two of the most respected names in football. Richard Illingworth and Kumar Farmasena Appointed as on-field referee for Group A blockbusters. Damasena is Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winner and a veteran of 37 T20 World Cup matches, having reached the finals of two World Cups in 2016 and 2022. Illingworth, who will referee the 2024 final, displayed something like elite composure in what is expected to be the most watched game of the year.

2026 Men’s T20 World Cup opening day assignments

The opening day of the tournament on 7 February will be the backdrop for several important refereeing landmarks:

• First match (Pakistan vs Netherlands): The Dharma Gate will be with Wayne Knights In Colombo. This will mark Knight Riders’ first T20 World Cup appearance and his 50th T20 international as an on-field umpire.
• Kolkata Encounter: Nitin Menon and Sam Nogarski Will be in charge of Scotland’s match against West Indies. Menon, who officiated the 2024 semi-finals, enters the World Cup with a historic milestone: today, January 31, 2026, he will become the first Indian umpire to officiate 150 international matches in a T20I final between India and India. New Zealand In Trivandrum.
• Mumbai wins three consecutive championships: When India played the United States that night, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker will be in the middle. Tucker currently has 46 appearances in the T20 World Cup, the most among all officials, and will be showing off his half-centuries (50) during the tournament, including games like England and Nepal and India and Namibia.

Also read: PAK vs AUS: Salman Ali Agha announced as Pakistan’s No. 3 batsman for T20 World Cup 2026

Complete list of match officials for the 2026 T20 World Cup group matches

Match referee:

Dean Kosk, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugal, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagar Srinath.

On-field referee:

Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Damasena, Chris Gaffani, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogarski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Landon Rusere, Shaftullah ibn Shahid, Ghazi Sohel, Rod Tucker, Alex Wolf, Ravindra Vimarasiri and Asif Jacobs.

Also read: Ravi Shastri predicts both teams to cross 300-run milestone in T20 World Cup 2026