The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially announced the match officials for the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, set to begin on February 7 in India. A total of 24 umpires will serve as on-field officials, while six match referees have been appointed to oversee the competition. Officials for the Super Eight and knockout stages will be confirmed later.
For the tournament opener between Pakistan and the Netherlands at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club ground, Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights will serve as on-field umpires.
Dharmasena, a member of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning team, has officiated 37 matches in Men’s T20 World Cup history, including finals in 2016 and 2022. Knights will make his first appearance at a Men’s T20 World Cup, marking his 50th T20 International.
On the opening day in Kolkata, Nitin Menon and Sam Nogajski will umpire the Group C clash between Scotland and the West Indies. Menon previously officiated the first semi-final of the 2024 T20 World Cup, while Nogajski stood in four group-stage matches in the last edition.
India’s Group A match against the USA will feature Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker, with Tucker set to reach his 50th T20 World Cup match this tournament. Other high-profile matches include Chris Gaffaney and Richard Illingworth officiating Australia vs Ireland, and Illingworth teaming with Dharmasena for the India vs Pakistan fixture in Colombo on February 15.
The appointed match referees are Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, and Javagal Srinath. The full list of umpires also includes Roland Black, Chris Brown, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Kettleborough, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madanagopal, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddien Paleker, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohel, Alex Wharf, Raveendra Wimalasiri, and Asif Yaqoob.
The ICC expects the selected officials to ensure fair play and uphold the highest standards of officiating throughout the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage.
