India are on course to create history at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, as they edged past England to advance to the Final.

Defending champions India defeated England by seven runs to reach their second successive final at the T20 World Cup.

Scorecard

After Sanju Samson led the charge to take India to 253/7, the home team survived a spirited challenge from England to register a seven-run win in a high-scoring semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.

The two teams scored 499 runs between them, the most in a men's T20 World Cup match.

In Sunday's title clash, India are chasing a few firsts as they take on New Zealand in Ahmedabad. They are aiming to become the first host team to win the T20 World Cup, the first team to defend the title and the first to win three T20 world titles.

Another day, another special by Sanju Samson:

Unable to find a place in the star-studded playing XI earlier in the tournament, Samson has come good for India in clutch games. After a match-winning 97 not out against West Indies in the final Super Eight clash, the right-hand batter continued from where he had left off.

Samson scored a eye-popping 89 off 42 balls, with the help of eight fours and seven sixes, to lead India to a towering total.

Put into bat, Samson got going from the first over, hitting back-to-back boundaries to Jofra Archer to give India the early momentum. Given a life at 15, when England captain Harry Brook put down a simple catch at mid-on, off Archer's bowling, Samson made England pay.

With Wankhede rolling out another batting paradise, Samson, and India, whipped the crowd to a fever pitch with some relentless shot making. Having ended powerplay on 67/1, the defending champions continued to press on. Samson got stuck into a flighted delivery by Liam Dawson, carving it inside out over extra cover for six to bring up his half-century in just 26 balls.

Samson built a 97-run stand (in 45 balls) with Ishan Kishan and a 43-run partnership (in 22 balls) with Shivam Dube.

Once he had set the tone for the innings, it was difficult for England to pull back against India's power-packed batting line up. There were contributions all through, as Kishan (39 from 18), Dube (43 from 25), Hardik Pandya (27 from 12) and Tilak Varma (21 from 7) all came out swinging.

India struck a 19 sixes and 18 fours through the innings, earning 186 runs in boundaries.

Will Jacks was once again England's go-to man for wickets. After claiming the early wicket of left-handed Abhishek Sharma, he returned to send back dangerman Samson. England's bowling spearhead Archer suffered at the Indian batter's hands on the day, as he conceded 61 runs in his four overs, with the lone wicket of Varma to show.

The highest score in a run chase at a T20 World Cup was England's 230 against South Africa in 2016.

Facing a record chase in the semi-final, England gave it a good go and fell agonisingly short, finishing at 246/7.