U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026: Meet the Future Stars of World Cricket
A confident Indian cricket team will look to assert its dominance at the age-group level in the ICC Men’s U19 ODI World Cup 2026, scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15 to February 6.
Ayush Mhatre will lead the 15-member Indian Under-19 squad, with Vihaan Malhotra named as vice-captain. Promising young talent Vaibhav Suryavanshi is also part of the team.
All matches of the U19 World Cup 2026 will be available to watch live in India through live streaming and television broadcast.
The 2026 U19 World Cup is the 16th edition of the 50-over age-group tournament and will feature 16 teams.
As per the tournament format, the 16 teams have been divided into four groups. Following single-round-robin group matches, the top three teams from each group will advance to the Super Six stage.
In the Super Six round, 12 teams will be split into two groups. After another round of matches, the top two teams from each Super Six group will qualify for the semi-finals. The final is scheduled to be held in Harare on February 6.
India have been placed in Group A alongside New Zealand, Bangladesh, and the USA, and will play all their group matches in Bulawayo.
India will begin their campaign on the opening day of the tournament against the USA at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
India are the most successful team in U19 World Cup history, having won the title five times (2000, 2008, 2012, 2018, and 2022). They have also finished as runners-up in 2006, 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Australia, the defending champions after defeating India in the 2024 final, have won the tournament four times.
A potential India vs Pakistan clash could take place at the U19 World Cup 2026, but only if both teams reach the semi-finals. The two rivals recently faced each other in the age-group Asia Cup final, which Pakistan won. Ahead of the main tournament, India’s performances in the warm-up matches were mixed. After dominating Scotland in the first match thanks to a brilliant innings by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, India suffered a narrow defeat against England in the second game.
Where to Watch U19 World Cup 2026 Live in India
Live streaming of the U19 World Cup 2026 will be available in India on the JioHotstar app and website. Live television coverage of the ICC Men’s U19 ODI World Cup will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network.
India’s U19 World Cup 2026 Schedule
(All match timings are in Indian Standard Time – IST)
- January 15, Thursday: India vs USA – 1:00 PM
- January 17, Saturday: India vs Bangladesh – 1:00 PM
- January 24, Saturday: India vs New Zealand – 1:00 PM
- January 25, Sunday to February 1, Sunday: Super Six matches (subject to qualification) – 1:00 PM
- February 3, Tuesday: Semi-final 1 (subject to qualification) – 1:00 PM
- February 4, Wednesday: Semi-final 2 (subject to qualification) – 1:00 PM
- February 6, Friday: Final (subject to qualification) – 1:00 PM
India U19 World Cup 2026 Squad
Indian U19 Cricket Team:
Ayush Mhatre (Captain), Vihaan Malhotra (Vice-Captain), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (Wicketkeeper), Harvansh Singh (Wicketkeeper), R.S. Ambarish, Kanishk Chauhan, Khilan A. Patel, Mohammed Enan, Henil Patel, D. Deepesh, Kishan Kumar Singh, Uddhav Mohan.
About the Author
