Rain threat looms over today’s India–Pakistan T20 World Cup clash in Colombo

Rain threatens to play spoilsport in the much-awaited India–Pakistan clash, which will be played today (February 15) at the R Premadasa Stadium.

Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology has warned that a low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeastern Bay of Bengal around February 15.

The alert from the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has raised concerns about possible showers in Colombo, putting the spotlight on the weather ahead of one of the biggest matches of the tournament.

Forecasts from AccuWeather suggest there could be rain in the late afternoon, a couple of hours before the scheduled start. However, conditions are expected to improve by evening, with only a small chance of showers during the match. Cloud cover is likely to persist, with temperatures around 27°C and humidity in the 70 per cent range.

About the match

India opened their campaign with a tense win over the United States before cruising to a 93-run victory against Namibia. Pakistan survived a scare against the Netherlands in their first match but bounced back strongly with a comfortable win over the United States.

Historically, India have dominated this rivalry in T20 World Cups, winning seven of their eight meetings. Pakistan’s lone victory came in 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

With Super 8 qualification on the line and pride at stake, anticipation is high. All eyes will now be on the skies over Colombo as fans hope the contest unfolds without major interruptions.

Playing XI

India will be led by Suryakumar Yadav (c), with Sanju Samson (wk) in the squad. The team also includes Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishan Kishan (wk), Rinku Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Tilak Varma. The squad features a mix of experienced players and young talent across batting, spin and pace departments.

Pakistan will be captained by Salman Agha (c). Their squad features Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Khawaja Nafay (wk) and Usman Tariq. T